Offering online courses to students has certainly expanded learning opportunities, and for some colleges, has helped to significantly increase total enrollment.
According to theeagle.com, Blinn College, a two year college based in Brenham, Texas, has seen an increase in total enrollment as a result of its distance learning program. The article says that 518 students have enrolled in the distance learning program over the spring 2015 semester, helping to increase total enrollment by 2 percent.
The college’s distance learning program gives students the option to enroll in fully online courses or partial online courses, making the program more appealing to students who may not want to participate in fully virtual learning.
Offering students various learning opportunities, such as partial online courses, has seemingly become more attractive to students than traditional campus courses. While Blinn’s distance learning program saw a significant increase in enrollment, the college’s campus enrollment was down.
As for campus enrollment, the college’s Schulenburg campus saw the greatest loss compared to spring 2015 with a nearly 30 percent reduction in enrollment this semester.
That campus is followed by the Brenham campus with an 8.3 percent loss, the Sealy campus with a 4.2 percent loss and the Bryan campus with a 2.2 percent loss.
Online learning opportunities enable students to learn on their own time and at their own pace, granting students who are trying to balance school with other commitments such as jobs and families the flexibility they need. Colleges and universities struggling to increase enrollment may want to consider providing distance learning programs such as Blinn’s to attract students who cannot enroll on campus and participate in traditional courses.
To learn more about implementing a distance learning program at your school, check out this Special Report: Guide to Distance Learning for Higher Education.
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