University to Restructure Correspondence Program; Name Changes to 'Self-Paced Online Courses'

The University of Arkansas will redesign the way it offers correspondence courses this summer to meet the changing needs of technology-savvy students and to foster higher completion rates for students in these courses.
 
The new structure will be in place July 1, and the program's name will change to "Self-Paced Online Courses," replacing "Independent Study (Correspondence) Courses." Paper-based correspondence courses will be discontinued June 1, and new enrollments will be temporarily stopped July 1 to prepare to make the new system available to students in August.

"The needs of students are changing, and we are revising our delivery methods and processes to address those needs," said Javier A. Reyes, vice provost for distance education. "We believe the new system will accommodate the students' needs and will result in more students earning the academic credit they seek."

Self-paced courses provide the most flexibility of any U of A credit course, while meeting the same academic standards as face-to-face or traditional online courses. Self-paced courses allow students to set their own learning tempos rather than following structured learning environments led by faculty or instructors. Students are not required to be formally admitted to the university to take self-paced courses, but  students need written approval from their deans to ensure these courses will count toward a U of A degree.

The full policy, course calendar and enrollment information will be available on the University of Arkansas Online website.
 
Nancy Arnold, director of credit studies for the Global Campus, and representatives from several of the university's colleges and administrative units collaborated to plan the new program structure.

Structure changes effective July 1:

• Students may select from about 22 enrollment sessions per calendar year. (About 45 courses will be available.)
• Three of those enrollment sessions will be reserved exclusively for students enrolling under financial aid/scholarship guidelines.
• With the exception of the summer "financial aid/scholarship" session, all sessions will be 12 weeks in length.
• The tuition will be $130 per credit hour plus a $25 distance education fee per credit hour for both resident and non-resident students.
• Qualified students may apply for one 12-week enrollment extension if they have completed at least half of the course requirements. The extension fee will be $30 per credit hour of the course extended.
• Students enrolled in self-paced courses prior to July 1 will continue to operate under the policies in place at the time of enrollment.

Self-paced courses are offered by the academic colleges and schools and administered by the Global Campus. Students, faculty, advisers and others can contact Arnold at nharnol@uark.edu if they have questions about the new structure.

The Global Campus also supports colleges and schools in the development and delivery of distance education offerings, including online degree programs and courses. The Global Campus provides instructional design services, technology services, access to national distance education organizations, and assistance with strategic academic development.