Online Enrollment Shows Steady Growth

When UMass Lowell launched its first online classes in 1996, it was a pioneer in using the Web as a platform to teach students. A dozen years later, the University is maintaining its leadership position by growing enrollment in Web-based courses and increasing the number and variety of online programs offered through the Division of Continuing Studies, Corporate and Distance Education.

The number of registrations for online courses increased 25 percent from fall semester  2006 to fall 2007, and 22 percent between spring 2007 and spring 2008. That growth is consistent with the steady increase in online enrollment UMass Lowell has seen since 1996, according to Catherine Kendrick, executive director of Distance Market Development and Corporate Outreach.

Online enrollment makes up about 60 percent of the total enrollment in Continuing Studies. This year, there have been approximately 20,000 total registrations in Continuing Studies, according to Pauline Carroll, executive director of Academic Services, Enrollment Management and Administration for Continuing Studies and Corporate Education.

Carroll notes that while Continuing Studies is growing its online enrollment, it is not doing that at the expense of other areas. In total – including online courses, classroom instruction and corporate training – Continuing Studies is a $20 million operation.

“We’re experiencing record enrollments in all areas,” she says, including a 5 percent increase in registration in traditional classroom-taught courses.

“Those are really incredible growth rates,” Kendrick says. “If you look across the country, there are a lot of schools that would envy that growth rate.”

While UMass Lowell started out offering about a dozen classes online in 1996, it now has a wide variety of courses as well as complete degrees and certificates that can be earned without ever coming to campus. Some of the most popular programs are the bachelor’s degrees in liberal arts, psychology and information technology, and master’s degrees in criminal justice, education and business administration.

“I think the scope of our offerings is very attractive to students,” says Kendrick.

Kendrick also believes that UMass Lowell is a popular provider of online learning because it combines Web classes with a “brick and mortar” institution with a strong reputation for its academics. Students who have studied online can always take classes in person if that suits their needs, she says. Also, UMass Lowell offers “blended” courses that combine Web-based learning with a classroom component: students get most of their instruction online and then attend class on campus a few times a semester. Among the new blended programs being offered is a bachelor of science degree in nursing for registered nurses who want to upgrade their credentials.

Another key draw for UMass Lowell’s online courses is access to student support services. Students who take online classes can get academic support from faculty and staff advisers via e-mail, by telephone or in person, says Carroll. Online students may also take part in graduation in person or via the Web, and may be selected for the Continuing Studies’ honor society. Another important aspect of the program is the strength of the faculty teaching the online courses and the commitment of the faculty coordinators.

Offering online courses is one of the ways UMass Lowell fulfills its mission of providing access to higher education, Kendrick says. The convenience of taking classes on the Web means that working professionals and others who might not be able to attend college in the traditional sense are now able to earn degrees and certificates.

“If it were not for the convenience of online learning, a lot of people probably wouldn’t do it,” she says.

The next frontier for UMass Lowell, Kendrick says, is to expand corporate training into an online environment.