OWATONNA - With work weeks lasting anywhere from 40 to 50 hours a week, Sierra Sellers said it can be difficult to earn a college degree.
But with the rising number of online courses at Riverland Community College and other colleges and universities, it's easier for her to complete the classes for associate's degree in business.
"I wouldn't be as fond of school if it weren't for online courses," Sellers said. "I found this to be a lot nicer for going to school.
Bill Dowden, instructional support manager and an instructor at Riverland, said most students like Sellers take the classes because it's convenient for their own schedules, either because of time or work issues. Other students, he said, just like learning online.
"It gives students total control of their education," Dowden said. "It's an environment where they control what they learn."
Riverland offers online courses from 40 different faculty members. Its online programs may help students earn an associate's.
"We started this about five years ago with five students," Dowden said. "Now it makes up about 12 percent of the college and growing. Our online courses fill up the fastest of any classes in the faculty."
Pat Lipetzky, dean of extended learning at Minnesota State University, Mankato, said it has six programs online for class certificates, associate's, bachelor's and master's. It's in its third year at MSU, offering most students 100- and 200-level general education courses.
In spring semester of 2007, Lipetzky said there were more than 1,000 enrollments in the courses offered (noting students may make up more than one class). This summer, MSU is offering 95 courses.
"It's very strong because students go away from campus for the summer" but want to keep up with their load, she said.
One student took an online engineering course from Texas, while another person from Cambodia requested information about a class about non-profits.
The online courses aren't any different compared to in-class courses. Depending on the subject or the question from the instructor, students will write long passages in their work showing the professor how much they understand the material.
"The rigors are no less compared to a regular class," he said. "You have to do the work, but you can figure out when you can do the work."
Dowden is an instructor in modern world history at Riverland. During the day, he'll post an assignment for students to read some materials or other Web sites. Afterward, his students are to have an online discussion, weighing in on the discussion.
To make the students think critically, Dowden said he wouldn't ask about the seven causes of the First World War. Instead, he would ask them what is the greatest cause and why?
"In the end of the day, I want my students to know about the 20th century," he said.
Students are expected to post a minimum of four discussions. In the end, Dowden said there are more discussions written than on a paper, giving students more opportunities to hear other viewpoints and weigh in.
"Their level of involvement is their desire to keep a conversation with one another," Dowden said. "They get to see so much more in history than I would teach in a class. It's all these arguments to see if the person is valid in their argument."
The postings happen anywhere from the middle of the afternoon to the middle of the night, Dowden said.
Sellers works as a human resources generalist at Foldcraft in Kenyon. The first available time to take a class is in the evening, sometimes not until the following day.
Her classes require her to use a Desire to Learn (D2L) system in order to retrieve her homework assignments and tests. Sellers said she likes the online courses because she's able to use notes for references in tests. Most of the exams have been in essay format, requiring to look up more information.
"There's no way to cheat because you have to know your subject," she said. " ... You're under a strict timeline and you can't be floundering through your notes."
The issue of cheating has been discussed from a number of MSU staff, Lipetzky said. But there are instructors who are able to tell whether a student cheated based on the work he or she turns in.
"It can almost be like a finger-pointing," she said.
Summer classes begin next week at Riverland, along with Minnesota State University, Mankato.
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