More students going to college without actually going to college

Going to college doesn't always mean lousy parking, annoying roommates and hanging out in the student union between classes.

Not anymore.

These days, for an increasing number of students, going to college can mean sleeping late, attending class in your underwear and never meeting your professor.

Welcome to the world of online education. Nationally and in Nevada, the popularity of online-only college classes is not just growing; it's exploding.

In the last few years, the number of college students taking at least one online course more than doubled nationally. In Nevada, it quadrupled.

"One of the primary reasons is to make education accessible to students," said Lesley DiMare, provost at Nevada State College.

Across Nevada, according to an internal report to be presented this week to the university system Board of Regents, nearly 25,000 students were taking at least one distance education course last fall.

That's up from fewer than 6,000 in 2001.

Distance education is primarily online courses, though it does include a small number of courses taught via video conferencing in Northern Nevada.

Numbers aren't available for this year, but indications are the overall trend is continuing.

A report from the Sloan Consortium, a nonprofit group that promotes online education, says nearly 4 million students are taking online courses nationwide.

Jessica Kusak is one. Kusak, 27, is studying communications, business and psychology at Nevada State College. She's the editor of the school newspaper and has a job.

So fitting classes into her schedule can be tough. Which is why an online course or two is always welcome.

She doesn't see much difference between attending a virtual class through a computer hookup and attending an actual class in a room full of desks.

Both require work.

"As far as what you're getting out of the class, I don't see any difference at all," Kusak said. "Of course, like anything else, you get out of it what you put into it."

What a student gets from an online course often depends on the subject, and on the professor.

Professors say they always include written lectures, and sometimes include videos, photos, Powerpoint or Flash presentations, live or delayed chats with the professors and other students, as well as things like a calendar to remind students about when assignments are due.

There is very little hand-holding when it comes to online courses.

Sondra Cosgrove, who teaches history at the College of Southern Nevada, said she did not take immediately to teaching courses online. It was too much work.

"I swore I would never do it again," she said.

But as time went by, she realized how convenient it was for the students, particularly those who are already working, have families and are looking to enhance their education.

She said some old-school professors still hate the idea.

"They call it going over to the dark side," she said.

Still, online courses are gaining ground, even among professors. Half the courses Cosgrove teaches are online only.

Online classes have gotten so popular in Nevada that National University, a private nonprofit with a campus in Henderson, recently opened a storefront in Summerlin dedicated to selling its online program.

Bill Regenhardt, the Summerlin center's manager, said it's similar to three such centers already opened in California.

Its goal is to provide information about online classes to potential students. Online classes have become mainstream, Regenhardt said.

"It's a lot different than it used to be," he said. "They are much more interactive."

Terry Norris, director of e-learning at the College of Southern Nevada, the state's largest institution, said the growth locally in online courses is partly a reflection of changing times, and partly of the nature of Las Vegas.

It is typical for those taking online courses to be working professionals who are looking to enhance their education.

"That's part of what's been driving the enrollment growth in Nevada," he said.

Couple that with gasoline prices that rose for three years until the recent drop, and you have an environment ripe for online growth.

Norris, who also teaches an online business course, said today's software makes it easy to take a course online.

The downside? Students don't get to participate in "college."

Grace Thomson, who teaches business courses at Nevada State College, both in a classroom and online, said another downside is that online courses aren't for students who need a lot of handholding.

Generally, those who are focused and self-reliant will do better with online courses.

Kusak, the student, agreed.

"It really takes that much more dedication," she said of the virtual classes. "You need to be your own cheerleader."

Contact reporter Richard Lake at rlake @reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0307.