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Nicolet College is committed to delivering a college education to adult learners who cannot attend college on a full-time basis and that commitment has resulted in an increased emphasis on online programming.

Online enrollment at Nicolet has increased a whopping 65 percent in the last year, a number that reflects both a new menu of course offerings and the growing preference on the part of adult learners for the flexibility that online instruction can provide.

Susan Kordula, Nicolet’s director of enrollment services, believes the sharp spike in online enrollment is a reflection of the school’s emphasis on improving that segment of its instructional services.

“Part of the increase is that we’re offering more online classes. We’ve made a conscientious effort to encourage faculty to put more of their classes on-line, because community colleges like Nicolet tend to serve adult populations that need the option,” Kordula said. “Online classes offer even more flexibility than night classes.”

Nicolet launched its online instructional program in the 2002-2003 school year. Because the college is primarily composed of part-time learners, it measures enrollment by an index called full-time equivalents (FTE’s). One FTE represents the programming equivalent of one student enrolled in a full-time course load. When Nicolet began its online curriculum, it served just 15 FTEs. In 2006-07 the number had increased to 86 FTEs. And this year Nicolet’s online enrollment has reached 138 FTEs. The steady growth has been the result of careful planning.

Nicolet College Vice President Jim Brown said the board made increased accessibility its priority during its last strategic planning cycle, and on-line programming was one of the primary vehicles it identified as a means to increase that accessibility.

For Kordula, this year’s enrollment numbers are a testament to the quality of the product the college offers.

“The on-line class is a better learning experience for students than it used to be. The new technology has enabled us to do a much better job with on-line courses. It’s much more like being in the classroom now, because there is real interaction between the students and the faculty,” said Kordula.

Nicolet’s online curriculum uses Blackboard software as the primary interface between instructors and students. The software allows instructors to manage discussions, check on participation, and comment on student’s work in real time.

“You can’t sit in the back of the room and not talk in an online chat,” Kordula said. “The faculty can monitor how often students have logged in. They can really keep students on track.”

Nicolet’s high online enrollment numbers are not the result of just one factor. High gas prices have made online courses much more desirable for students who have long commutes. Another important factor in the equation is the faculty’s comfort level with managing online classes.

“Our faculty continues to get training on the software and on the methodology of how to teach online. The first time they put their course online it’s a lot of work but after that it just needs to be tweaked, so I think a lot of faculty are getting more comfortable with the idea,” said Kordula.

This year Nicolet offered more online instruction options than ever before. Kordula said the role of online education is not to replace classroom instruction but to provide a necessary supplement that meets its students demand for flexibility in scheduling.

“You can’t beat the interaction of a face-to-face classroom, but this is a great way to supplement that part of education and it’s very necessary for our business,” Kordula said.

Many of Nicolet’s associate degrees require lab and practicum course work which require the physical presence of learners in a hands-on working environment. But even in those degree programs, like nursing and auto mechanics, a learner can complete general requirements online and reduce the number of days they have to travel to the college’s campus.

“Students will tell us that they’re willing to drive one or two days a week but not four or five days,” said Kordula.

Now more than ever, Nicolet’s online course offerings provide a flexible means for adult learners to pursue two-year and four-year college degrees. Having negotiated new collaboration agreements with four-year institutions like UW-Green Bay and UW-Stevens Point, Nicolet now offers Northwoods residents the chance to chase their dreams of earning college degrees without ever leaving their homes, something Brown thinks will help the college grow.

“One of the areas we think we’re really going to see an expansion is in the general education courses that will feed into the university transfer system. We think those types of courses are particularly well-suited to the online format. It’s going to offer a lot of new opportunities for students who are working or are a little bit older but still want to pursue a four-year degree,” said Brown.

The growing national trend towards online education has transformed the University of Phoenix from a marginal educational entity to the largest private university in the world. It may also enable regional technical colleges to increase the scale of the instructional operations considerably.

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