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By Agencies |
BOSTON: Laurel Ranticelli considered driving 40 miles round-trip to take education classes at the University of Massachusetts campus in Amherst. Then she realized she could take the same courses from her computer at home and save on fuel costs.
"It's gotten out of hand, the gas prices," said Ranticelli, 50, who lives in Springfield. "It's $70 a week. That's pretty close to my groceries."
She joins a growing number of students trying to save gas money by enrolling in online classes. Online enrollment has been steadily growing for years, but college administrators say the spike in gas prices has fuelled a surge in students seeking classes without the cost of commuting.
John Bourne, director of the Sloan Consortium, an organization in Wellesley that studies online education, said he expects gas prices to bring about "a blended classroom half online, half in class."
"It's gotten out of hand, the gas prices," said Ranticelli, 50, who lives in Springfield. "It's $70 a week. That's pretty close to my groceries."
She joins a growing number of students trying to save gas money by enrolling in online classes. Online enrollment has been steadily growing for years, but college administrators say the spike in gas prices has fuelled a surge in students seeking classes without the cost of commuting.
John Bourne, director of the Sloan Consortium, an organization in Wellesley that studies online education, said he expects gas prices to bring about "a blended classroom half online, half in class."
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At Villanova University, the engineering school has seen a 40% increase in online enrollment even though summer enrollments typically stay flat. "We've attributed it to the huge gas prices," said Sean O'Donnell, who runs the engineering school's distance education programme.
In many online classes, students log on at their convenience for coursework, which is mostly through independent study. Students and professors interact through online chats, message boards and e-mail.
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