| By Patricia Pelletier Editorial Staff Framingham State College’s graduate and continuing education program has the biggest online program of all the state colleges in Massachusetts. FSC’s total enrollment is 5,953 students, and of those, 2,800 students are enrolled in the division of graduate and continuing education. "There are a lot more people who are working and who want to change careers," said the Acting Senior Associate Dean of Graduate and Continuing Education, Romeo Marquis. The office of graduate and continuing education offers several programs that have attracted the attention of more students than in past years, including distance learning, off-campus classroom sites and an extensive online program. "We have about 715 registered students in at least one online course," said Marquis. This semester, the office of graduate and continuing education offered 40 course sections online. "People don't have to come to campus at all. We have students from several different states and a couple of different countries," Marquis added. Bill Matthew, a student enrolled in the master’s in business administration program, said, "I did my undergrad [work] here. FSC has served me well over the years. The location works out perfect. I live in Holliston and work in Southborough. It beats driving to Worcester and fighting traffic to Boston." Location is important to students, especially those who work full-time jobs and are still managing to find time to go to school. FSC offers classes off-campus at various locations throughout Massachusetts. Some students confuse off-campus sites with satellite campuses, Marquis explained. "We do offer several courses in different locations across the state." FSC sponsors and pays for the faculty who teach at the 18 off-campus classroom sites. The locations throughout Massachusetts include Cambridge, Newton, Milford, Dedham and Somerset. A complete list is located on the website of the graduate program: chooseFSC.org. Dr. Arnold Good, associate dean of graduate and continuing education, said, "Over the past three or four years, enrollment has increased significantly." The total enrollment for graduate students this fall increased from 1,872 students last year to 1,907 students this year. According to Dr. Philip Dooher, vice president for enrollment management, this year, there are 719 new freshman full-time day students, and 13 new freshmen who are enrolled in evening classes. There are also 74 new transfer students taking undergraduate evening courses - both full-time and part-time. Good added that the programs the college offers could be what interests the students. There are 30 to 40 programs available. “We try to be market savvy, so we predict the need in certificate and graduate technology, because technology is still an important force out there.” Luke Lynch, an undergraduate student working toward a degree in computer science, said, "It [FSC] had what I needed. Other schools didn't." There are 21 master's degree concentrations, seven certificate programs and seven undergraduate evening programs, along with teacher licensure programs. A student can take classes through a certificate program either as an undergraduate or a graduate student. Two popular certificate programs are fashion merchandising and children's literature. One problem most students have who are enrolled in evening and graduate courses is that they are not necessarily available during the day. "Some of them are working full-time, so they may take one, maybe two courses a semester," said Marquis. "Now some of these courses are over the Internet." In certain cases, students do not have to come to campus to take classes. Dooher added that it "adds to the convenience of [students'] schedules and work." The use of technology in the classroom has advanced at FSC. "We certainly have the biggest online program, no question about it," Marquis said. In an article written and presented by Marquis at a conference in Rhode Island, he gave several answers to the question, "What can we do online that we cannot do as well or as fully in a face-to-face classroom?" Some answers included: • removed many constraints of time and place. • provide higher levels of indiviualization. • provide additional opportunities for students to take on the role of teacher. • strengthens the instructor's role as a tutor and mentor. • provide opportunities for students to engage content more substantively. Student Judy Soares, who is attending FSC for her bachelor’s degree in psychology, agreed that the online program is effective. She added that it is the "convenience" that attracts most students. Good said, "When it comes to online courses and using technology in the classroom to facilitate student education, we've been a leader and we plan to stay a leader." |