The University of Memphis will expand the number of online degree programs available to students for the upcoming fall semester.
Vicki Murrell, assistant dean of distance education, said The U of M wants to increase online offerings to promote higher enrollment and retention.
"It's a way to increase enrollment," she said. "It's also a way to encourage degree completion because if somebody is in the middle of a degree and they have to go to work, they can still finish that degree."
Murrell said the online programs also help The U of M attract nontraditional students to the school.
"We want to expand our market past the traditional 18- to 22-year-old student, and we want to be able to reach people outside of the Memphis vicinity so they can take advantage of the educational opportunities that we have to offer," she said. "We want for people all over to have that experience without having to move to Memphis."
Murrell said 18 new degree programs will join the 22 already in place. These changes will take effect in the fall of 2010.
She said that this semester, more than 5,000 students were enrolled in online courses, with 1,300 students taking a totally web-based curriculum.
Department faculty members are responsible for taking a traditional class and moving it online. The distance learning department helps facilitate that transition, Murrell said.
"Our plan is to continue to support those departments that want to move toward an online degree program and make sure that we are marketing it in a way that lets people know we are here," she said.
Tom Hrach, assistant professor in the journalism department, said preparing for an online course requires more time than a normal class.
"There is a lot more work before the class starts than there is with another type of class," he said. "I spent all summer putting together the readings, the assignments and examples of assignments."
Hrach said after the initial preparation, teaching online was less time-intensive.
"I found it a lot more work in advance, but once it got going, it was easier for me," he said. "It's not as much work as teaching in the classroom."
A common misconception of online coursework is that it is easier that traditional work, Murrell said.
"We strive to make sure that the quality of the courses that are online is equal to the face-to-face quality," she said. "If somebody is looking for an easy degree, this is not the place to come."
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) requires that all online degree programs must be identical to in-person programs.
'There is no indication on a transcript or even in registration history that courses were online or face-to-face," Murrell said.
Jason Errion, senior health and human performance major, said he has taken online courses, but he prefers face-to-face interaction.
"I prefer in-person classes because it keeps me more up-to-date in class," he said.
Errion took a nutrition course online and said he enjoyed the course.
"I liked the format of it," he said. "It was pretty straightforward."
Murrell said online courses will never take the place of traditional classes.
"I don't think it's ever going to replace face-to-face," she said. "I see it as a really good supplement for people who don't have that face-to-face option."
