Distance learning, web courses growing at UI, ISU, UNI

IOWA CITY - Enrollment in Web and on-site courses at locations off campus continue to dwarf Iowa Communications Network numbers in distance education at the University of Iowa and Iowa State University.

At the University of Northern Iowa, however, the ICN continues to be a popular distance education delivery model, since UNI serves many K-12 educators who have easy access to ICN locations.

ISU and the UI serve more private-sector students in distance education, and that population tends to choose online courses or other methods over the ICN, officials said. The UI offered one for-credit ICN course in 2008-09, and ISU offered four, compared to 130 offered by UNI.

“It's driven by the market,” Dave Holger, associate provost for academic programs at ISU, said. “And there's newer technology now that lets you do things over the Web that you couldn't do before.”

The 2008-09 report on distance education at the three universities will be discussed Thursday by the state Board of Regents. The board also will hear from a task force on cooperation between the UI, ISU and UNI. That group will recommend more distance learning collaborations as a way to expand course offerings for all students and boost efficiency.

“The idea of using distance technology to better share the educational resources across the regent universities is a trend I see,” Holger said.

Web-based courses and face-to-face classes at sites off campus, such as in metro areas across Iowa or at partner community colleges, continue to be growing areas in distance learning for the regent universities. Those are by far the most popular delivery methods for ISU and the UI. UNI's is more balanced with ICN offerings.

The three universities overall saw nearly 9 percent growth last year in for-credit distance education enrollment, to 34,121. There were another 581,807 enrollments in noncredit courses, a 3 percent increase.

Evolving technology, the economy and the universities desire to tap new student markets all play a role in the growth, officials said.

Blended courses - those that offer a portion on-site and a portion via the Internet - are a big growth area, Chet Rzonca, UI associate provost and dean of continuing education, said. The UI also is increasing partnerships with community colleges to offer UI courses at more sites, he said.

“We recognize we'll have to go out there. We're not going to get them to come here,” Rzonca said of that potential student population.

Of the 15,868 undergraduate and graduate enrollments in UI for-credit distance education in 2008-09, 44 percent were on-site at an off campus location, and 56 percent were through the Web.