Community College Enrollment in Online Courses Rises Substantially this Decade
January 25th, 2011
Over the last decade, increased internet access and a growing number of online course offerings have led to a rising number of students enrolling in online courses offered by community colleges and universities. Mississippi’s community college system has been no exception to this trend.
The combination of increased availability of online courses and more adults seeking additional training and education during the economic downturn has resulted in a substantial increase in online course enrollment through the Mississippi Virtual Community College (MSVCC). In 2001, headcount enrollment in online courses was 4,781 students. By the fall of 2010, MSVCC’s headcount enrollment had grown to 28,427 students taking a total of 65,096 courses.
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As enrollment in online classes has risen sharply this decade, the average number of classes students take online is rising as well. Average courses taken per student grew from 1.73 courses in Fall 2001 to 2.29 courses per student in Fall 2010.
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Students enroll in online courses by registering at their local community college, and tuition for online courses matches the cost of taking courses on a community college campus. Courses varying from “Remedial English” to “Medical Terminology II” can be taken online, and students can complete assignments at any time of the day or night. Students complete all assignments online with the exception of at least one proctored test that students take on their community college campus.
For Mississippi’s adults that are working, caring for children, or living in communities far away from the nearest community college campus, online courses may play a valuable role in helping adults gain skills and in receiving course credit building to a postsecondary certificate and degree.
Source:
“Facts about Mississippi Community and Junior Colleges.” Handout from January 20, 2011, at House of Representatives Appropriations Committee hearing for the State Board for Community and Junior Colleges. Mississippi Virtual Community College Online. http://www.msvcc.org/.
Author:
Sarah Welker, Policy Analyst
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