FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The University of Arkansas will celebrate National Distance Learning Week, Nov. 7 through Nov. 11, by recognizing the achievements of its online students and faculty.

National Distance Learning Week is sponsored by the United States Distance Learning Association, which offers webinars and promotes recognition for the tremendous national growth in distance learning.

“The University of Arkansas can be proud of its efforts to promote student success by making its courses, programs and resources available to more students through distance education,” said Donald Judges, interim vice provost for distance education. “Data show students are taking advantage of these opportunities to enrich their lives, strengthen our workforce, and fuel economic growth.”

More U of A students are studying online than ever. The number U of A students who study solely online more than doubled in the last four years, rising to 2,747 in academic year 2016, according to this year’s Global Campus annual report.

Almost half of all U of A students – about 48 percent of 26,754 students who enrolled in fall 2015 – took at least one online class last year.

In the last four years, 1,630 U of A graduates earned their degrees by studying exclusively online. This positive trajectory shows a growth in graduates from 331 in academic year 2013 to 460 graduates in academic year 2016.

“It fulfilled a desire I’d had my whole life, when I got that diploma,” said Laura Sherer of North Carolina, who earned her bachelor’s degree in human resource and workforce development from the College of Education and Health Professions.

Danielle Tabb, who is stationed in Little Rock with the U.S. Air Force and is enrolled in the Master of Science in Engineering program from the College of Engineering, said, “This university has provided me my best online education experience. The flexibility is unparalleled, and the teachers truly love what they’re doing.”

The increase in online enrolment is a national trend. “The Online Report Card: Tracking Online Education in the United States,” published in 2016 by Babson Survey Research Group, WCET, the Online Learning Consortium and others, showed a 3.9 percent growth in the number of students taking at least one distance course between 2013 and 2014. It shows that 5.8 million students in fall 2014 were taking courses at a distance, with 2.85 million taking all of their courses at a distance and 2.97 million taking some, but not all, courses at a distance.

Throughout the week, stories on the U of A News website will showcase U of A students who used or are using online programs to help them advance in their careers or start new ones.

GROWTH IN ONLINE PROGRAMS

In the last year, the university received approval from the Arkansas Department of Higher Education to add new online programs, including three developed by the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. They are the Bachelor of Arts in Communication, the Master of Social Work, and the Graduate Certificate in Geospatial Technology.

“We are incredibly proud of the quality of these programs, and of being able to offer them to students regardless of their geographic location to our main campus,” said Todd Shields, dean of Fulbright College. “Our faculty worked diligently to create each program, and continue to work hard to ensure our students will be successful in their online studies and have meaningful experiences that support their career desires.”

In the last four years, the U of A added a total of 20 new bachelor’s, master’s, certificate and endorsement programs, delivered completely or primarily online. All online offerings are showcased on the U of A ONLINE website.

In academic year 2016, the U of A offered more than 550 online courses from all seven academic colleges and schools. The U of A now offers five bachelor’s degrees and 25 graduate degrees completely or primarily online, as well as certificate, endorsement and licensure programs. Others are in development.

SUPPORTING ONLINE GROWTH

The university realigned the Global Campus in 2012 to better support academic colleges and schools in the expansion and enhancement of online and distance education. As a support unit, the Global Campus works behind the scenes to provide financial and in-kind support to kick-start new online programs, sustain existing online programs, and support faculty and facilitate innovative learning technologies in both online and on-campus programs.  

The Global Campus promotes the use of innovative teaching strategies, the integration of interactive learning technology, and adherence to Quality Matters guidelines for quality in online courses. The unit provides a team of instructional designers, academic technologists and learning technology specialists who work with faculty to develop and deliver online and on-campus courses and programs.

Support units across the Fayetteville campus – including Global Campus, IT Services, U of A Libraries and others – provide online students with the tools and resources they need to be successful.  The One Stop website is a portal to these services and tools.

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.