Understanding Online Degree Programs: What You Need to Know Before You Apply

Last year, the University of Arkansas reached a milestone in online education.

The university now offers more than 100 online programs that include degrees, licensure and certificates. New offerings on the graduate level in environmental resiliency were among the programs that pushed the U of A past the 100 mark.

The Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design and the Graduate School and International Education partnered to create the environmental resiliency program, the first online program to involve the architecture school. Now, all the academic colleges that make up the U of A offer at least one online program.

Online programs serve many needs while expanding access to higher education. Some, like the environmental resiliency program, help working professionals gain needed skills whether they want to take a few courses or earn a graduate degree.

“There is a need to provide leaders, analysts and communicators across job sectors, including government agencies, private business and NGOs, who can address, evaluate and tackle some of the most pressing climate issues,” said Ken McCown, professor and head of the Department of Landscape Architecture in the Fay Jones School, who coordinates the environmental resiliency program.

Altogether, online offerings include programs in agriculture, business, engineering, nursing, education, human resources and several other areas. They can be viewed on the U of A ONLINE website.

In the 2023-24 academic year, the U of A awarded 1,318 degrees and certificates to students who studied online. The average age of an online student is 31 for an undergraduate and 35 for a graduate student, according to the Global Campus annual report. Online programs at the U of A are specifically designed to meet the needs of these students with supports and pathways to help them meet their goals. 

 

Variety, Affordability

The U of A’s online offerings provide a wide variety of options. They cover bachelor’s, master’s, specialist and doctoral degrees. A variety of licensure and certificate programs are also available. Most of the licensure programs focus on the requirements of the Arkansas Department of Education for various types of educational licensure and endorsements.

Graduate certificates typically require 12 hours of course credit, and microcertificates typically require 6 hours of course credit. They give learners specific knowledge and expertise in a specialty area and can be stacked for credit toward a degree.

Students pay in-state tuition for most programs that are fully online. A handful of hybrid programs such as the Executive Master of Business Administration require a few campus visits per semester for an in-person class. Many businesses help pay the cost for their employees to earn a degree.

“I enrolled at (U of A) Online because of my workplace,” said Keri Reynolds, who earned a Master of Human Resource Development in 2023 while working as operations coordinator for FACT Inc. in El Dorado. “They offer professional development, 100% paid tuition, books, everything. So, when I had the opportunity, I was like, yeah!”

With financial support from her employer, Reynolds was able to complete the degree while working full time and raising her son.

 

Access, Flexibility

Online and in-person courses differ primarily in access and flexibility.

For Tim Killian, the bottom line is that online courses provide access to education not afforded by in-person courses. Killian, an associate professor, teaches in the Master of Human Environmental Sciences program in the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences. Students have told him online courses allow them to keep their jobs while they earn a degree.

“We have students in our program who would not be able to pursue a college degree without online courses,” he said.

However, a prospective student needs to understand what learning environment serves them best. A student’s learning style can influence their performance in an online course, Killian said.

“Whereas some students benefit from the structure of in-person courses, others benefit from that the freedom to pace themselves in online courses,” he said. “In other words, there are very individual reactions to online courses.”

 

Learning Styles

Chris Medenwald teaches the same marketing course in both a traditional, in-person format and an asynchronous, online format. An instructor in the Sam M. Walton College of Business, Medenwald intentionally covers the same topics, outcomes and marketing principles/practices in both versions of the course.

“The major differences can be found in the delivery methods and content formats,” he said. “In-person students learn primarily but not exclusively by listening and discussing (in real-time); online students learn primarily but not exclusively by reading and watching video tutorials (on a more flexible schedule).

“These differences have important implications for growth-minded, success-driven students,” Medenwald continued. “Practically speaking, students should consider their personal learning styles when deciding between in-person and online options. Some students learn better by listening than reading and vice versa.”

Medenwald said he has also found that, because there is less opportunity for interpersonal, one-to-one interaction in the online format, and because asynchronous, online courses offer greater flexibility than in-person courses, students who manage their time well and thrive on autonomy generally do best in an online environment.

“Students can flourish in both formats – and really master the subject matter,” he said. “I’ve seen it many times.”

 

Instructional Services

The Global Campus supports the academic departments in the development and delivery of online degree programs and courses. This unit provides instructional design services, learning technology support, media production services and assistance with financial administration, recruitment and marketing.

All U of A instructors, whether they teach online or in-person, use the Blackboard Ultra learning management system. In-person instructors might use Blackboard Ultra a little or a lot, said Ken Muessig, instructional design manager at the Global Campus.

“But those who teach online use Blackboard Ultra as a virtual classroom; they host syllabi, announcements, group discussions, readings, videos, assignments, quizzes and tests,” he said. “For online courses, Blackboard Ultra is the classroom where students and instructors come together.”

Instructional designers at the Global Campus assist instructors in developing and updating online courses. They also assist with other outreach activities such as producing a podcast, writing articles for the Teaching Innovation and Pedagogical Support (TIPS) website and presenting at the annual Better Online Learning Together online conference.

 

Student Support

Prospective students can contact an online student liaison and talk, text, chat or email to get the information they need to choose an online program and complete the application process. Liaisons answer questions and connect prospective students to other resources.

Because many online students work full time, the liaisons are available extended hours: 12 hours on weekdays and four hours on Saturdays. And, of course, Razorbot, an AI chatbot, is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to locate information on the U of A website.

Once enrolled, undergraduate online students have access to online orientation before their first semester. Instead of coming to campus to tour a residence hall, checking out the food in a dining hall and meeting with representatives of campus interest groups like traditional freshmen do, students studying online – who may never come to campus – need information about resources at their fingertips. They have to find helpful information quickly from online sources to be successful.

Topics covered in online orientation cover:

• How to read a rubric to understand how an assignment is being graded.
• How to work with the Writing Center, online tutoring, the Center for Educational Access and other services.
• How to make the most of online library resources.
• How to schedule out a calendar that takes into account healthy classwork and studying habits, realistically dealing with time demands outside of school.
• How to create your study space that works with your lifestyle and learning style.
• Importance of engaging your family and friends in supporting your educational goals.
• How to read a syllabus, make a PDF, upload a Kaltura video, interact on a discussion board, install Microsoft Office and other programs, and use the American Psychological Association writing style used in most classes.

“I don't generally interact with students in my position, so it is really refreshing to meet real people, not just see them as numbers and outcomes,” said Noel Sharif, a data analyst at Global Campus who also serves as an orientation facilitator. “We care. We really, really care about student success; we cheer when students succeed and look for opportunities to hold out a helping hand.”