U. of Colorado hits the 'Net

Going to college at the University of Colorado will be as easy as turning on a computer when classes begin next week at CU Online, the first fully-accredited virtual campus on the Internet. CU Online offers students a wide rage of services, from online courses and advising to an online bookstore and student union. Program Coordinator Maureen Schlenker said nearly 200 people have registered for the 21 courses being offered this semester. She said classes will be conducted entirely online, with students taking exams, submitting papers and participating in discussions via their computers. CU Online is accessible from anywhere in the world, and Schlenker estimated that 20 percent of the students are from out-of-state and a few are from outside the United States. "Our goal is to provide more educational opportunities to a wider range of people," she said. Schlenker noted that CU Online is ideal for people who cannot attend traditional classes because of their physical or economic situation or work or family obligations. "CU Online meets needs of people who might not be able to attend a traditional classroom because of distance or time conflicts," she said. Core courses are being offered in a variety of disciplines from psychology to anthropology. Marvin Loflin, the dean of the University of Colorado College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, explained that the online courses will be comparable to traditional classes. "We would be doing a disservice to our online students if we didn't give them the same opportunities as traditional students," he said. "We are working with our technology providers to make available to our instructors whatever they feel is necessary to offer their courses at the same level of participation and excellence as they offer on campus." He said online education may prove to be even more effective than traditional classroom learning. "Some of the faculty members tell me they can design classes even more effectively online," Loflin said. "Because of the variety of interactive participation, many of the students say they can learn more fully online than they can in a crowded classroom." And since the online courses are part of the accredited University of Colorado curriculum, the same rules for financial aid and scholarships apply to both online and traditional students. Schlenker said CU Online is a pilot program funded by the university's main campus at Boulder. More courses will be added to the service if it proves to be successful. "Becoming literate in Internet communications will open a gateway to a whole new frontier of instant knowledge, which will pay huge dividends to online students anywhere in the world," Loflin said