UCF Online Classes: Many Students Hardly Need To Set Foot on Campus

UCF online-learning experts have been called upon to speak at conferences and share expertise with other colleges and universities across the country, said Joel Hartman, vice provost for information technologies and resources.

Through the years, Hartman has guided the expansion of a comprehensive course-development system that includes intensive training for instructors and constant research into new technology. The goal is to make the online class experience as engaging and rigorous as any face-to-face class.

Taking courses online requires students “to stay focused and manage your time well,” student Kyle Hickman said.

As students descend on the University of Central Florida’s main campus this week for a new academic year, a growing form of traffic is set to rival the school’s notorious morning rush to find a parking space.
Online traffic is burgeoning as UCF students take more courses by computer.

Photo: 2010 UCF Today.

Checking into class online from a dorm room or an off-campus home, coffee shop or even poolside could help ease the traffic tie-ups and classroom crowding fueled by UCF’s record enrollment growth, officials say.

Surveys show students like the quality of their instruction in addition to the flexibility that going online adds to their schedules, UCF officials say.
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Source: UCF TODAY