Summer won't be much of a break for students considering online classes, made more attractive this year by the reduced price for summer tuition.
Ball State offers 170 online, undergraduate courses on a 10-week or 9-month option. Because most of them are core classes, students say it's a good change-up from scheduled classes on campus.
"I've learned a lot more on my own," said junior public relations major Melanie Verburg. "I can do it whenever I want."
In 2011, Ball State made it easier for students to pay for online summer courses as well. Updated fees and tuition rates for courses now allow students taking 12 credit hours to take an additional six online or on campus at no additional charge. Ball State also reduced summer tuition by about 18 percent.
While taking summer online classes, students learn from the same professors as they would on-campus. Courses count for the same amount of credit hours, and the classes are designed to be the same quality as on-campus courses.
The classes allow for an independent experience, self-paced and self-directed, with guidance and grading from a teacher who students might never see.
Associate Director of Student Services Joel Whitesel works one-on-one with online professors. He said, based on student evaluations, professors who teach online need to provide good feedback, quickly respond to questions, have a well-designed course and be willing to listen and not talk down to students. These criteria are based in part on student evaluations, he said.
Based on the evaluations, Whitesel said three of the top online professors are Carol Friesen who teaches family and consumer science, Tiffany Hecklinski who teaches COMM 210, and Kathryn Shafer who teaches mathematics.
"I am passionate about helping students," Friesen said. "I would hope that all online teachers would provide this same kind of feedback and input for their online students. It is what they deserve."
To access the online registration form for Distance and Online courses, look under the Registration tab on the Ball State Services for Current Students page and select, "Students Taking Online and Distance Courses." To see available summer courses, look under Course Tools and select "Courses Offered: Online and Distance."
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