Online registration grows as more students on-campus, off-campus enroll in expanding selection

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Registration for Central Michigan University’s growing catalogue of online classes has increased more than 10 percent from last year.

There have been 7,230 online course registrations so for this fall, and CMU is still taking registrations for the fall II semester, said Carol Bale, director of marketing, public relations and communications for CMU Off-Campus and Online Programs.

“The busy lives of students make taking online courses a good fit, providing them with the convenience and flexibility they need to keep their educational goals on track,” said Merodie Hancock, vice president of ProfEd.

Bale said there has been an increase of courses and degree programs offered in an online format — a total of 212 online courses at CMU.

Stephen Duchane, a temporary instructor of political science, teaches PSC 210: Introduction to Public Administration and PSC 411: Public Sector Human Resources and Organization Theory sections online.

He said the format works well for his classes because he can easily incorporate video and information from the Internet into the lessons.

“We’re not just textbook driven,” he said. “We have a lot of multimedia opportunities.”

Online on-campus

Some on-campus students also take advantage of distance learning opportunities CMU offers by opting for online courses.

Approximately 20 percent of students living on campus are also enrolled in online courses.

In any given term, there are about 3,000 students enrolled at CMU Online, said Marnie Roestel, manager of CMU Online.

“Some of these students are strictly online students, while others may be enrolled in off-campus locations, and the rest attend main campus,” Roestel said.

Chris Redker, a temporary faculty member in ProfEd, teaches PSY 100: Introduction to Psychology and PSY 330: Social Psychology sections online.

“Many online course students like the fact that you can earn course credit in half the time,” he said.

Redker said online courses are becoming popular because they are only eight weeks long and offer smaller class sizes.

White Hall sophomore Beth Eaton was glad she chose to fulfill her ENG 201: Intermediate Composition requirement online.

“I had a great professor that participated in the discussions and the lack of travel was fairly convenient,” Eaton said.

Most courses offered online are also offered on campus, but some are internet-exclusives.

One such course is BCA 310: Broadcast History and New Media Technology, a requirement for Broadcast and Cinematic Arts majors.

While some classes are a great option online, some are better off in a classroom, Eaton said.

“I can’t picture having to learn subjects such as physics or math without direct interaction with the professor and my peers,” Eaton said.