National Distance Learning Week to Celebrate Online Growth, Success

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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The University of Arkansas will celebrate National Distance Learning Week, Nov. 9-13, by recognizing its campuswide effort to enhance and expand distance education and by sharing the success stories of online students.

The celebration week, sponsored by the United States Distance Learning Association, seeks to promote and applaud the tremendous national growth and accomplishments occurring in distance learning programs offered by schools, businesses and governmental departments.

“The University of Arkansas can be proud of its online enrollment growth and its contribution to the statewide expansion in the number and variety of online programs,” said Javier Reyes, vice provost for distance education and head of the Global Campus. “Each academic college and school has contributed to these achievements by offering high-quality online programs and courses that are accessible to all Arkansans, especially those who cannot make it to the Fayetteville campus every day.”

This week, stories on the university’s News  website will spotlight successful students who study or studied online at the U of A. Students will share what these online options mean to them and their careers. Online programs are showcased on the University of Arkansas ONLINE website.

online programs, enrollment growing

The U of A added 15 new online degree and certificate programs over the last three years, following a 2012 campus decision to enhance and expand online education. The U of A now offers 38 online degree, certificate and licensure options.

The new offerings include three bachelor’s degree and degree-completion programs: the Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies, the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in General Business, and the Registered Nurse to Bachelor of Science in Nursing.

 “The growth in the number and variety of online bachelor’s degree programs is in line with the university’s goals to meet students’ needs and with the state’s efforts to increase the number of citizens who hold bachelor’s degrees,” Reyes said.

Arkansas ranked 49th nationally in the percentage of people age 25 years and older who held a bachelor’s degree or higher, with 18.8 percent fitting that description, according to a 2008 statistical abstract by the U.S. Census Bureau.

More than 1,100 students earned their U of A undergraduate and graduate degrees by studying in online degree programs in the last three academic years.

The number of U of A students studying exclusively online has increased during the past three years, rising from 1,217 students in the 2012-13 academic year to 2,293 in the 2014-15 academic year, an 88 percent increase.

The number of U of A students who took at least one online course also rose during those years, increasing from 7,161 in the 2012-13 academic year to 12,293 in the 2014-15 academic year, a 72 percent increase.

“The university has invested in the tools and resources the faculty needed to meet the increased student demand for online learning options,” Reyes said. “The enrollment numbers show that students are taking advantage of the new online options.”

Supporting Online growth

The university realigned the Global Campus, a support unit for distance education, in 2012. The goal was to better support academic colleges and schools, including support for faculty and students on the Fayetteville campus in developing and delivering online programs, Reyes was appointed to head this unit.

Students can gain access to university resources and tools online via the OneStop website, a portal launched in 2015.

The Global Campus added four instructional designers and support staff in the past three years to help faculty develop online courses . During that time 81 faculty and staff were trained in Quality Matters workshops hosted by the Global Campus, and 22 faculty and staff members were certified as peer-reviewers for online courses.

The enrollment in the university’s Self-Paced Online Courses (correspondence) from academic units across campus grew from 1,221 in the 2013-14 academic year to 1,327 in 2014-15, after a significant program restructuring in 2013.

More online programs are in development for future students, Reyes said.

About the Global Campus: The Global Campus supports U of A colleges and schools in the development and delivery of online, distance and workforce education programs and courses. It provides instructional design services, technology services and assistance with marketing, recruiting and strategic academic development.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among only 2 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.