Online degree programs have increased enrollment

Online degree programs have increased enrollment

According to a 2009 report published by the Sloan Consortium, 4.6 million students were taking at least one online course during the fall of 2008. Many of these students were enrolled in online degree programs at campus-based universities.

Schools such as the University of Maine at Augusta (UMA) are experiencing greater increases in their online learners than in their total student population, the Kennebec Journal reports. UMA recently announced that it has enrolled 5,080 students this fall, which is a slight rise from the 5,054 who matriculated a year ago. However, 1,946 students are enrolled in online courses this semester, which is up 33 percent from the 1,468 students who were taking Internet-based courses in 2009.

Online courses now make up nearly 20 percent of all credits at the school, while last year, they comprised 16 percent of overall credits.

"You can serve students better when you're serving fewer numbers of students taking more credit hours," Jonathan Henry, UMA's dean of enrollment services, told the news source.

The average student this semester is enrolled in 8.29 credit hours, which is up from 8.24 last fall.

By Mark Danson