| If this
describes a situation in which you find yourself, you are not alone. According
to statistics from the U.S. Department of Education and the University
Continuing Education Association, the fastest growing group of people who
are taking college courses are people 25 and older and are working and/or
raising a family. The baby boom generation has hit the higher education
market and is making a big impact. The term "non-traditional student,"
which can be identified by any of the factors listed above (and more),
is becoming more the norm in the college classroom -- wherever that may
be.
And from other statistics
being gathered, it doesn't look like the needs of this group of people
is going to slow down anytime in the near future. According to the National
Center for Education Statistics and International Data Corporation:
| 1. |
The number of students taking
classes online will triple to 2.2 million by the year 2002. |
| 2. |
The proportion of four-year
colleges offering online programs will grow from 62% to 84% by 2002. |
| 3. |
Total enrollments in all
distance learning courses across the United States have doubled since 1995
(754,000 to 1.6 million). |
| 4. |
The proportion of four-year
institutions offering courses at a distance has increased from 62% in 1995
to 91% in 1999-2000. |
| 5. |
Corporations are looking
to colleges and universities in record numbers to help keep their employees
up-to-date in their fields. |
| 6. |
Corporations are using tuition
reimbursement and other education-related incentives to hire and retain
key employees. |
As you can see from the above
statistics, there is a growing need to provide college education to people
who cannot attend college on a full-time basis. Universities and colleges
have responded (and continue to do so) in a positive way to meet the needs
of this group of college students. Independent learning courses,
accelerated programs, weekend programs, online courses, interactive video
courses, and workplace courses have all been ways in which the university
community has responded to the needs of the non-traditional learner.
In particular, the University
of Wisconsin-Platteville has responded to this need by offering courses
in a variety of formats and time frames to serve student needs. We
currently provide a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration
in an independent learning format (self-paced). We offer four degree
programs completely online (Bachelor of Science in Business Administration;
Master of Science in Project Management, Master of Science in Criminal
Justice, and Master of Engineering). All of these programs require
no on-campus courses and/or visits. We also offer weekend programs
in the Madison and Milwaukee areas in the Master of Science in Education
program (adult education emphasis). In addition, there are graduate
courses in Counselor Education and Teacher Education, which are offered
in the evenings and late afternoon on the UW-Platteville campus.
We have taken on-site classes and training sessions to numerous businesses
throughout the tri-state area and will continue to do so as the need arises.
So, the next time you are
thinking to yourself. . .
| "I'm too old to go back
to college." |
| "There are no classes that
fit my schedule." |
| "Nobody else has the same
constraints that I have." |
THINK AGAIN!
Give the University of Wisconsin-Platteville
Distance Learning Center a call at 1-800-362-5460 to see how we can help
you meet your educational goals!
One last statistic from the
University Continuing Education Association to leave you with: It is expected
that by the year 2002, non-traditional students will make up the majority
of students taking college classes in the United States! |
