poll story

Online Struggle Cont…

According to The Sloan Consortium there has been nearly a 40 percent increase in online enrollment since 2005. So if you have ever wondered if you are alone you are not. There are 66 online classes in session right now at Anoka-Ramsey Community College with at least 30 students in each class, so that is roughly 1,980 students enrolled in an online class.
There were 14 people polled, six out of 14 are full time students. Many students are not just taking online classes 87.5 percent are also taking both online and courses in the classroom at Anoka-Ramsey Community College.
If you feel that online classes are harder, 71.4 percent agree. One student polled said, “I prefer the live interaction & stimulation of regular classes. But, it's a constant challenge to keep up with online because it's out-of-sight and I am not that organized, although I have done better this year with online.” 64 percent said that they took the class because it is convenient to take an online class. One student polled said, “I wanted some more credits without having to drive to a campus.”
“It was the only way the class was offered,” a student of Anoka-Ramsey Community College stated. 29 percent of students polled said the only way the class was offered was online. Four out four students polled that said that online is harder also said it was the only way they could take the class. One student said, “Online seems to really increase the work load and homework.” Some students would like to strictly go to school but do not have that option because not all of the courses are available to take on campus. When asked if they think it is fair that not all students could take certain courses at the Anoka-Ramsey campus, 50 percent said they do not think it is fair. One student polled responded, “No. I think if you are going to have the degrees available, you should have the classes for them available as well.” 36 percent of students feel that it is fair and that it does not matter. “Yes, I think it is fair because an individual has the freedom to take classes elsewhere,” a student said.
There are 28.6 percent of students taking only online classes. Some of the courses are not offered as an online course. Only 14 percent said that it is not fair that there are not more classes offered as online. On student stated, “It would be nice if more were offered online.” 43 percent of the students said that it is fair. “There are many classes that are just not feasible online as most hands on classes such as art, science, music...some of these would be virtually impossible to take in an online format,” one student replied.
What about online degrees? There are five online degrees available at Anoka-Ramsey Community College, some of which include, Associates in Arts and Accounting. With an increase in students taking online courses there is also an increase in academic advisors accepting that online courses are just as effective or even more effective.