Online classes can be an alternative option to complete courses and even degrees for some students at the University.

Students are able to take online classes during the regular fall and spring semesters, as well as in the summer for the same price as regular classes at the University, according to the tuition and fees brochure from the Office of the Bursar.

Not all classes are available online, but there are many options for online classes that students can search for through their MyBGSU account, said Connie Molnar, director of the Center for Online and Blended Learning, in an email.

Although not every course is offered online, the University does offer some undergraduate and graduate degrees that can be completed entirely online, Molnar said.

Some undergraduate online degrees include fire administration, liberal studies and nursing. Some graduate degrees include classroom technology, food and nutrition specialization and English.

“Online classes provide opportunities for students to receive a BGSU education who may not otherwise be able to do so due to life circumstances,” Molnar said. “Non-traditional students, including working parents and students in the military stationed overseas are two examples of students who can take BGSU classes and pursue an education online without needing to travel to campus.”

Ronda Klein, an English instructor, was hesitant about teaching online classes.

“In the beginning, I wasn’t really in favor of it because I love meeting my students face to face,” Klein said. “I discovered that there can still be a sense of community even in online classes. I get to know [students] through their writing and also through their interactions with each other in the discussion boards, which are the online version of in class conversations.”

Some students might have anxiety about taking online classes for the first time.

“At first I was a little hesitant, simply because I’d never taken a class online before,” said senior Dylan Terry. “As the semester advanced, I learned that it wasn’t much different than a face-to-face class, but I had to make sure to exercise discipline in actually doing the work. Being online and having the freedom to turn in work any time before midnight made it really easy to forget to turn something in.”

Terry believes the online classes he took were more effective than his normal face-to-face classes at the University.

“I actually learned a bit more in my online classes than if they had been face to face,” Terry said. “Participation had a concrete point value assigned and you could see your total decrease on a weekly basis if you didn’t contribute.”

History Professor Michael Brooks, who has taught online classes at the University since 2009, believes online classes can be just as effective as normal classes depending on how they are designed.

“Teaching online learning is really taking off and education in the last five years,” Brooks said. “There are [classes] that are brilliantly designed, interactive and collaborative, and there are others that might not be as well-designed.”