Louisiana is eight years behind the rest of the nation in its online degree program offerings, according to LSU President F. King Alexander.
LSU A&M offers a handful of online graduate-level degrees such as the MBA program. It does not have any undergraduate online degrees, although other Louisiana universities do, including other campuses in the LSU System.
At its meeting last week, the Louisiana Board of Regents discussed expansion of online higher education opportunities. The board recently launched
LouisianaOnline.org, which lists online degrees available at Louisiana universities.
Alexander said because Louisiana ranks 49th in the nation for adult residents with a college degree, increasing accessibility to higher education should always be a priority.
Online courses and degrees would enable the University to reach more nontraditional students as well as those who do not live in Baton Rouge, he said.
More online course offerings could also help regular University students finish their degrees sooner. A student who goes home for the summer could still earn a few hours of credit through online courses.
Alexander said the focus on online education has been on graduate programs in the past, but it is important to expand undergraduate degrees as well.
While some programs may be delivered 100 percent online, others may be hybrids that include in-classroom components as well.
Evidence suggests that graduates of online-only degree programs are just as good as those of regular students, Alexander said. Administrators will ensure any new program, whether online or hybrid, “is a good, LSU-quality degree,” he said.
“This isn’t about dumbing down the programs,” he said. “We’d be making them more accessible.”
It is crucial that the University creates more avenues for people to go to school. Minorities, adult learners, people in the military and others who cannot attend class at the University would benefit, Alexander said. The University must try to do more to reach these populations, he said, and online degrees could in fact serve those people better.
“With underrepresented populations, perhaps they can succeed because it’s not face-to-face,” he said.
“This isn’t about dumbing down the programs. We’d be making them more accessible.”