The following is a portion of a guest-column written by UIS Chancellor Susan J. Koch. It was published in a January 13, 2013, edition of the State Journal-Register.
"A headline in The New York Times just a few days ago — “Students Rush to Web Classes” — highlights a major trend that has been growing at warp speed. Universities large and small, public, private and for-profit are increasing their online offerings via digital technologies that did not even exist a few years ago.
The Springfield campus of the University of Illinois, with our Center for Online Learning, Research and Service, is a national leader in online learning.
In addition to high-quality, on-campus academic programs, UIS offers 26 undergraduate and graduate degrees and certificates entirely online, providing access to a university education to many who might not otherwise be able to attend college.
In the Fall 2012 semester, 61 percent of our students were enrolled in at least one online course, part of a worldwide trend that has now, according to a recent Sloan Consortium study, surpassed 6.7 million students online last year."
Read the full column online
