As of July 1, UCF has implemented an $18 per credit hour distance-learning fee that will be charged to all students taking an online class.
Although $18 might not seem like much, but for each three-credit-hour class, UCF students will have to pay an extra $54 on top of regular tuition.
The distance-learning fee, also known as Florida House Bill 7105, allows colleges and universities statewide to charge a fee to cover extraordinary costs for making certain programs online. The distance-learning fee is not a uniform amount; each institution is responsible for its own courses and the amount of the fee.
The task universities and colleges across the state must complete is turning a face-to-face instruction class and convert it to online delivery. They have to satisfy course requirements and to maintain a classroom environment with students not meeting in person with the instructor.
Some of these costs included in the distance-learning fee are to provide internet connectivity and online maintenance, student and staff support and to keep improving the distance learning program.
The legislation also stated that universities and colleges who implement the distance-learning fees must list the course in the Florida Distance Learning Catalog.
"They want students to be aware of the alternatives," John Opper, executive director of the Florida Distance Learning Consortium, said. "There has always been a concern that they need a course to graduate. With the catalog, it helps students find courses they need, when they need them. They can find online courses to take at a close by institution, and not push back their graduation date."
Opper and other members of the Florida Distance Learning Consortium work with colleges and university on learning courses and programs. The FDLC compiled a list of more than 425 online degree options and online courses offered from all community colleges and universities on its Web site, www.distancelearn.org.
"We're an organization that works with colleges and universities to help them support their distance learning programs," Opper said. "Our only role is to provide them (state legislatures) with information they need."
Online education has been spreading rapidly in the educational system for the past few years. Opper said out of the total enrollment across the state, online courses and programs now constitute 20 to 23 percent of classes.
"The growth in online enrollment has been in double digits for a long time," Opper said. "Some community colleges have 40 percent of enrollment, and universities are growing more and more."
UCF's online degree programs and online classes have grown immensely in just the past few semesters. According to the Reporting Database Service from Institutional Research, last spring WebCT course sections offered were at an all-time high at 321 fully online course sections alone. There were 14,699 registrations for an online WebCT class last spring.
Between fall 2007 and fall 2008, there was a difference of 11,099 students who registered for online or mixed-mode classes. The online class registration increased by more than 3,000 students.
With the success of online courses, a variety of institutions have started offering online courses that start at multiple times throughout a semester. Opper also noted that students have started to take online courses at younger ages.
Enrollment numbers have increased for high school and middle school students recently through programs such as Florida Virtual School.
Not only has there been growth in distance learning programs at all ages, but mixed-mode classes have also been increasing in popularity.
"Students like those courses because it gives them more flexibility with their schedules, especially if their working while in school," Opper said. "Trying to get your academic schedule work with your work schedule can be very challenging."
But despite the online catalogs and the extra charges listed on MyUCF, most UCF students were unaware of the distance-learning fee.
"I didn't know we had the extra fee," criminal justice major Russell Brewer said. Brewer is enrolled in two online classes this semester. "I don't really care how much they cost; I have to take the classes anyways so I don't have a choice."
Junior business major Ryan Baker was shocked at the extra costs charged to UCF students for online classes.
"I find it extremely unfair," Baker said. "The school is already saving a lot of money as it is by doing the streaming classes because they pay one teacher to teach a class of a thousand students or more. If they didn't have the streaming classes they would need to pay at least four or five teachers to handle the same amount of kids."
What seems to be another issue about online classes for some students is not just the money, but the lack of classes offered in face-to-face instruction.
"It's not really fair that you have to pay the extra fee and you may not even want to take online classes but, you have to since that's all that's available," sophomore education major Taylor Hicklin said. "Online classes are hard for me so they hurt my GPA too."
The major struggle with online courses is finding a method for teachers to support and help students through the Internet. Many professors are forced to communicate through e-mails and class discussion boards rather than meet their students face-to-face.
"Some students want the structure of face-to face instruction," Opper said. "Other students like to complete the course as fast as they complete assignments.
"Pure online courses aren't for every student. Students should be aware of what they're getting into."
Hicklin said after her online class experience that she preferred having the option to connect with her professor.
"I like having an instructor to listen to rather then just having to read and do everything on my own," Hicklin said. "It's easier for me to learn that way."
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