Over three-fourths of colleges nationwide have online classes, and while 51 percent of college presidents believe they are of equal educational value as traditional class formats, a Pew Research Center study conducted in May 2011 shows that the 29 percent of Americans disagree.

Able to reach students on a larger scale

Biola offers over 15 classes online, varying from classes in the school of Talbot to those in Crowell and Cook. Students can earn their special education certificate or their California CLEAR credentials as well as degrees from the School of Arts and Sciences, Education and Intercultural Studies.

Matthew Weathers, applied instructional technology administrator of the distance learning department, said that the benefits of distance learning are three-fold: making Biola classes available world-wide, alleviating the rising class sizes due to the influx of students and offering a wide selection of classes over the interterm and summer sessions targeted for away students.

More than this, Weathers said Biola is hoping to use this program as a part of the broader Biola Initiative.

This initiative, which was laid out in The Future of Biola University 2010-2020, said that Biola will strive towards making more beneficial resources available and servicing the larger evangelical community on a global scale and move from having a proprietary to having an open-source mentality. In order to actualize these benefits, the department hired a director of distance learning to develop resources and standardize they way Biola does distance learning.

“We went and looked for a director of distance learning and hired Ron Hannaford who started and grew [Fuller’s] distance learning department over the last 12 years,” Weathers said. Hannaford has been building the program ever since the beginning of Biola’s department two years ago in 2009.

Teachers ensure student interaction

Ever since the efforts to push more classes to be available online, teachers for the most part find them appealing because of the flexibility that comes with the nature of the course, according to Weathers.

Sue Russell, professor of an online Acts Bible class, said that the flexibility of the course does not deter from the caliber of work demanded from a traditional course on campus.

“The students need to be aware of the same work load the class will require,” Russell said. “Going to the class online will mean having discussion groups everyday, accessing the Internet consistently and coming into a group meeting at the finish of the semester.”

Another aspect teachers approve of is that it forces students to participate, Weathers explained.

“Teachers have found that in traditional face-to-face classes, there could be 20 percent of the class that sits in the back of the room and never says a word, but with online classes it’s harder to hide,” Weathers said. “[Participation is] a part of your grade and so we see people participating in a way that is not possible in a face-to-face class.”

Some online classes provide video conferencing sessions or completely typed lectures, but online classes are typically designed to be self-study courses.

A great resource but not a replacement

Some students end up dropping out because they don’t realize the amount of work required in online classes, Weathers said. He also said the distance learning department has received feedback from students saying that they didn’t think they were going to be able to have community in an online class.

Senior Jon Barker said that he sees online education as a good tool, but not a replacement for traditional learning.

“If it is a major course or one that you are highly interested in, I believe that most people still benefit from in-class instruction and interaction with the professor,” Barker said.

Megan Reuber, a graduate student hoping to obtain her degree in December, said that she sees the use of online classes but would only turn to them as a back-up option.

“I love being able to interact with my professors and hear my peers ask questions and make contributions during class,” Reuber said. “I definitely prefer a physical classroom where real relationships can be nurtured and developed.”