How to rank online:
U.S. News and World Report ranked the online programs in a number of different categories including:
-student engagement
-faculty credentials and training
-peer reputation
-student services
-technology
Ball State’s recent rankings for online courses show a disparity between resources and engagement in a classroom and learning on a computer.
The U.S. News and World Report ranked the university’s business, education and nursing programs in the top 20 of their respective categories. Ball State was ranked No. 29 for best online bachelor’s program.
These numbers contrast with the overall on-campus classes at No. 181 out of 200 public schools, the lowest in Indiana, according to the U.S. News and World Report.
Jennifer Bott, associate provost for learning initiatives, said the difference could come from how the report looks at the two areas. While many universities agree on how to approach online, there are significant disagreements when it comes to classroom learning.
“There is more opportunity in online, because of that agreement around criteria that are effective, to see a change in the rankings,” she said. “That doesn’t translate to the rest of the rankings.”
Bott said there is one leading factor backing up the relationship between online and offline learning.
“Our online classes are a reflection of our main campus courses and the quality of our faculty and the quality of their instruction,” she said. “Our online classes are taught by the same faculty who teach on campus, so they bring the same enthusiasm and expertise to the online world as they do already to the lecture halls across campus.”
Bott said students should decide whether or not to take online classes based on their own learning techniques.
“I think students need to understand who they are as learners,” she said. “If they need the classroom environment to set structure and keep them on track, then I think they should stay in the classroom. If they are self-motivated and can manage their own calendars and due dates without a lot of reminders, perhaps online is a good option.”
Joe Pierson, a sophomore psychology and criminology major, took two online classes at Ball State after changing his major.
“I do not think it’s better than actual classes since there is no monitoring, and the professor is not readily available to you,” he said.
Despite this, Pierson said there were some advantages to these classes.
“I loved the online classes because you were able to do the homework whenever you wanted, it just had to be completed by the last day of classes,” Pierson said. “I need to get more credits, and it’s convenient because I don’t live close to campus.”
Classroom comparisons aside, Bott said the rankings show the work Ball State has put into online courses. She said the first push came with the Integrated Learning Institute, known as iLearn. The program uses instructional designers, instructional technologists and custom media developers to teach faculty members how to transition to teaching online.
She said in the last two years, the school also became a part of the Quality Matters Program, a group that helps ensure quality online instruction.
For last fall, online undergraduate courses were changed from self-paced instruction to regular 8-week or 16-week classes, Bott said.
Ball State offers 66 online degrees and certificates, Bott said. In Fall Semester, there were 2,984 online students and 3,560 students who took at least one online and one on-campus class, said Nancy Prater, director of marketing and communications of online and distance education.
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