For accounting major Kelsey Budgett, online classes are beneficial because some students don’t like making the everyday commute to college.
“I’d rather just come two days a week, so if I can’t fit them all in one day then I usually just resort to online.”
She noted that she is currently taking an online class and that’s usually how she takes her business classes.
According to College President Dr. Jose Fierro, there hasn’t been a need to expand the number of online classes.
However, there is a growing demand.
“Many of our students want the option to take online classes. This change will require us to work together and develop a process that provides support for faculty and students,” he said.
According to Fierro, general education courses are in high demand.
The college president feels the institution should move toward combination classes that would allow students to get their degrees online.
Welding major Daniel Gonzalez said, “I think it would be a good idea, however, there are certain things you would have to say no to and yes to.”
Budgett also sees this as a good move because she knows students with children who would be interested in online degrees.
Fierro said that faculty and staff would need to start planning a way that will allow students to utilize the current online classes offered and figure out a set of online classes to help students receive their degrees from home.
“[…] We need to look at our current offerings and complement them with classes that would allow our students to finish a degree program 100 percent online.
“I know this is a conversation that would take time and would require the expertise of our faculty and staff to make it work in the best possible way,” he said.
However, not all students see online classes and degrees as something they would be interested in.
Art history major Judy Lin said, “I do not like online classes, [be]cause I don’t see my professor[s] personally. Seeing them keeps me focused and it’s better, I’m better with regular class sessions.”
Gonzalez agreed with Lin citing the inability to be hands-on with online classes.
“I feel that they are good, however, I feel like it defeats the purpose i.e. if you are doing a hands-on class. You can’t do a welding class online, unless you are going to weld your computer together,” Gonzalez said.
However, he feels online classes are great to fulfill general education requirements.
“There are certain things they’re not great for. I would take standard curriculum like English or Math, I wouldn’t take science because I feel like that is more hands on.
I would do some of the things that I just show my work or something that solves a problem. I don’t want to take an online class that I would rather have a hands-on approach to.”
Fierro is also looking into offering more hybrid classes for students. Hybrid classes are when students only come to class once a week for their class meeting time, while they do online work for the second class meeting.
During fall semester, the college is offering more than 200 online sections such as English, business, computer and information sciences, accounting, among others.
A plan was discussed during the Oct. 5 board of trustees meeting to increase weekend and online classes to meet student’s needs.
Fierro said, “We are working on this plan as we speak, and I am hoping we can begin seeing these classes during the spring semester.”
