UCES
helps older students through online classes
By
Vince Scott
Online Forty-Niner
Staff Writer
University College Extension Services (UCES) provides Cal State Long Beach
students with the option of taking most, if not all of their classes online.
UCES relies heavily on online courses to accommodate working adults with busy
schedules.
According to UCES Director of Programs Sheila Thomas, the college has been
offering online courses over 19 years.
“
We currently have online courses with a number of degree programs including
professional studies, public administration, health care administration, social
work and engineering management,” Thomas said.
Thomas said UCES is always looking for ways to expand online learning, although
the majority of the programs are at the graduate level.
Paul Bott, chairman of the professional studies department, said his department
has the ability to offer both bachelor’s and master’s degree courses
100 percent online, but currently operates at about 70 percent. The department
has approval from the accrediting agency to offer their degrees 100 percent
online, Bott said.
“
Most of our students are in their late 30s and early 40s who have geographic
and job shift disadvantages.”
Bott said the three most popular courses offered are upper division General
Education courses: 388I Technological Literacy, 417I Technological Ethics and
Society and 457I Working Around the World. The focus of most of the programs
in the department is leadership development.
“
A lot of public safety agencies are looking for people to assume leadership
roles so they send them to us,” Bott said.
Assistant professor, credential coordinator and online instructor for three
years Victor Wang said the online courses offered at CSULB are “highly
effective.” He said students should be self directed and have independent
learning skills.
“
Students that are introspective and quiet in class really excel and enjoy these
types of classes,” Wang said. “The classes conveniently let students
do work at the office or at home.”
He said the online courses are as good and effective as regular classes. But
mostly it depends on “course design, expertise of the instructor and
how seriously students take their classes.”
Jesse Cuevas, who is currently working on his teaching credentials and master’s
degree, first heard about online classes from his adviser, Lisa Kukahiko, in
the occupational studies department.
“
I recommend them to anyone that hates traffic, hates trying to find parking
on campus and wants to save a bit of money on gas,” Cuevas said.
“
I live in Santa Monica which is approximately 31 miles away from CSULB. That
means I would have to travel over 60 miles whenever I have to trek to campus. I’ll
take an online class any day, because of that online classes rule.”
Some departments offer online classes, but the majority of the programs are
particular to credential and graduate degree programs or non-credit professional
development. According to Thomas, the majority of the programs are at the graduate
level.
“
Courses offered through UCES are self-supported and not [from the] general
fund,” Thomas said. “Students enroll with UCES through special
sessions which means different fees, times, locations, etc. We extend
the academic reach of CSULB. Each department is responsible for their
own online efforts.”
Acting Associate Director of Library Administration Henry DuBois said Web-based
or partly Web-based courses are determined by departments and are noted in
the schedule of classes. However there is no master list of online classes
offered to undergraduate students.
Karen Rose, a professor of English at Long Beach City College and advocate
of online instruction, said many instructors are intimidated and are afraid
it is too much work.
“
It’s tough in the beginning with all the course documents that must be
posted on the site, but once its up and running it gets easier to maintain
with each semester,” Rose said.
Bott said most California State University campuses and even community colleges
have a special section either online or in the schedule of classes for Web
courses.
“
There has been a lot of resistance on this campus to doing that,” Bott
said. “You’d have to talk to the guy who makes up the schedule
of classes to find out why that is.”
Assistant Director of Academic Support Karen Cizmar, who edits the class schedule,
related several reasons for not publishing a separated list of online classes
in the schedule of classes.
“
Classes are cancelled, added, changed, etc.,” Cizmar said. “Allocating
resources for a print course schedule that can never be completely up to date
is not really serving students in the best way, especially if they can find
the most accurate, up-to-date information online.”
Cizmar also mentioned a campus-wide survey that students reportedly did not
think listing online classes was essential information. She said things can
change and there are plans to enable students to browse for classes by mode
of instruction in the online class schedule.
|
