Connections December 2009
Jesuit Online Programs Reach Toward the 100 Mark
Richard Vigilante, Executive Director
Jesuit Distance Education Network
Sixteen Jesuit Colleges and Universities now offer 96 entirely-online degree and certificate programs to some 15,000 U.S. and international students. As shown in the table below, Jesuit online offerings include 42 bachelor’s degrees, 26 master’s degrees and 28 credit certificates. A list of these programs demonstrates the broad range of disciplines and specializations that are being delivered online. The JesuitNET online course/program catalog is being updated to provide descriptions of all 96 online programs. When JesuitNET was created ten years ago, only a handful of online programs were offered by just six AJCU universities.
Fall 2009 Online AJCU Degree and Certificate Programs
|
INSTITUTION |
Undergraduate
Degrees |
Graduate
Degrees |
Credit
Certificates |
|
Canisius College |
|
3 |
1 |
|
Creighton University |
1 |
4 |
1 |
|
Fairfield University |
|
|
2 |
|
Fordham University |
2 |
|
1 |
|
Georgetown University |
|
|
1 |
|
Gonzaga University |
4 |
|
3 |
|
Loyola University Chicago |
1 |
|
1 |
|
Loyola University New Orleans |
1 |
|
|
|
Marquette University |
|
|
2 |
|
Regis University |
14 |
13 |
|
|
Saint Joseph's University |
7 |
|
6 |
|
Saint Louis University |
2 |
4 |
9 |
|
Spring Hill College |
1 |
|
|
|
University of Detroit Mercy |
2 |
|
|
|
University of Scranton |
5 |
|
|
|
Wheeling Jesuit University |
2 |
2 |
1 |
|
TOTAL |
42 |
26 |
28 |
Jesuit institutions are capitalizing on the 12 percent annual growth rate for online enrollments, which far exceeds the 1.2 percent growth of the overall higher education student population. A third of U.S. colleges and universities now offer online degrees in business, liberal arts, health professions, and education. While expanding institutions’ geographic reach is a primary reason for entering online education, the economic success of online programs results from attracting new students who would otherwise not matriculate in on-campus programs--regardless of where they live.
A 2009 U.S. Dept. of Education meta-analysis of distance education research studies found that learning outcomes for online students exceeded those for on-campus students. The studies indicated that online learning was enhanced by giving learners greater control of their course interactions, prompting learner reflection and encouraging self-monitoring of learner understanding. The meta-analysis found that it was a combination of “additional learning time and materials as well as additional opportunities for collaboration that produced the observed learning advantages” of online instruction.
In 2008, the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) explored the experiences of online learners through a set of additional questions given to more than 22,000 students. For both freshmen and seniors, NSSE found that online learners were more likely than classroom-based learners to participate in course activities that challenged them intellectually. Online instruction was positively related to active and collaborative learning. Though this finding seems counterintuitive, the online setting may offer more opportunities for student collaboration and faculty who teach online courses may be more intentional about fostering active learning experiences, such as asking questions or participating in discussions. Professors intuitively understand that teaching online courses is inherently different, requiring different approaches to content delivery and student engagement.
Historically embracing these values, Jesuit education supports the creation of learning experiences that integrate critical thinking skills and self-reflective capacity. Students are asked to reflect upon the meaning and significance of what they are studying, and to become critical and active participants in the teaching-learning process. The continuing development of online programs provides Jesuit institutions with new opportunities to create specifically Ignatian curricula.
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