SUNY Canton sees record online education enrollment

SUNY Canton sees record online education enrollment

In an attempt to provide greater flexibility to its student population, the State University of New York's (SUNY) Canton campus has announced that it will offer more than 100 online courses for the upcoming summer semester.

Last year alone, the summer session experienced a 38 percent enrollment increase over the previous year. Since 2007, the university has expanded its online curriculum by more than 100 percent.

"We've experienced extraordinary growth in our summer and winter sessions the past few years," said SUNY Canton president Joseph Kennedy. "Students from all over New York State have realized how convenient it is to catch up or get ahead with our online courses without interfering with their summer plans."

SUNY Canton online program director Kyle Brown attributed the growth of the school's distance education initiative to the expansion of the university's general education courses, which allow students enrolled at other institutions to get ahead on their degree.

Currently, nearly 4 million students are taking online courses and earning online college degrees. At the secondary school level, more than 700,000 high school students are taking one or more courses online and nearly 40 states have established state-led virtual schools.

By Mark Danson