| In order to more effectively market existing online programs and to increase enrollment, North Carolina A&T recently launched the “A&T Online” (http://online.ncat.edu/) portal to provide a cohesive home for its online degree programs.
The new platform provides a dedicated home for online students and programs. The university currently maintains 16 online programs. New and current students will be able to receive all information and request services through the A&T Online website – online.ncat.edu.
The move will further the university’s strategic goals of Preeminence 2020 by increasing the enrollment of non-traditional students, veterans, active duty military and part-way home students or those who have completed some college but have not earned a degree.
“Online programs allow students to combine work and family responsibilities with educational goals. At A&T, we recognize the needs of non-traditional students and stand ready to help them succeed in their educational plans,” said Sanjiv Sarin, vice provost for Research, Graduate Programs and Extended Learning and dean of the Graduate School.
Across the UNC system, about 40 percent of students take at least one online course each semester, and close to 10 percent of students are fully online.
While speaking to the Greensboro News & Record, Venessa Harrison, an A&T trustee and also president of AT&T North Carolina said, “If we’re going to help our students compete globally, we’re going to have to embrace technology and let technology transform education,”
A&T’s current online programs include bachelor’s degree programs in business education and liberal studies as well as master’s degrees in teaching and two doctoral programs.
Officials are constantly looking at ways to increase distance learning enrollment and exploring new programmatic areas that are conducive to online delivery. Additional undergraduate, graduate and certificate programs are considered based on student demand and the university’s capacity to offer them.
Online areas of expansion could possibly include bachelor’s degrees in economics; master’s degree programs in English, African American literature, computer science and industrial and systems engineering; and an MBA; all of which are now offered in a traditional classroom setting. |
