,%20of...){kind=link}
Historically Black Colleges Reach Out To Students Online
Historically Black Colleges Reach Out To Students Online
According to a report released last year by the American Council on Education, African-Americans make up 12 percent of the total enrollment in higher education as of 2007, but accounted for 21 percent of students at for-profit institutions, many of which are based online. For historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), of which there are 105 in the United States, these statistics provide a strong incentive to increase their offerings of online programs to reach black students and compete for their tuition dollars.
Meeting a Market Need
Neil Foote, a spokesperson forHBCUsOnline.com, a new website aimed at bringing more black students to online programs offered by HBCUs that launched last fall, said that the reason that more colleges haven't already put programs in place were the same as any other institution. "There are issues both from academic standpoint and an operations standpoint," he said. "Making sure faculty are trained to teach courses online and making sure the technology is in place are big ones. Lastly, finding those courses that are most appropriate, where a university's level of expertise creates a demand for those classes."
"We've realized there's definitely a market and demand for our students to have access to online education."
Foote says that the creation of HBCUsOnline.com was driven by radio personality Tom Joyner's commitment to black colleges. "His vision was providing an opportunity, particularly for African-American students, to take advantage of online degree programs and courses offered by historically black colleges," said Foote. "He's very much aware of the trend of more people wanting to engage in distance learning and he's very aware of the impact that online colleges have made in marketing to the African-American audience."
Foote explains that Joyner's aim is to drive prospective students to HBCUs offering programs, not to administer courses.
HBCUsOnline.com currently features two schools,Hampton andTexas Southern and expects to announce additional schools over the next year. "Just based on our initial few months, the response has been tremendous," said Foote. "Some people had tried other online programs at other schools but were really glad they could now be associated with a legacy school, an established university."
"Education Has Always Been Competitive"
Lincoln University is another HBCU that is beefing up its presence and offerings online. "We've realized there's definitely a market and demand for our students to have access to online education," said Ashley Gibb, a spokesperson for Lincoln University. "Right now we're in discussions to bring more of it to our campus and provide it for our students."Lincoln has spent $300 million renovating facilities to be used as distance learning hubs to broadcast courses and putting technological infrastructure in place for programs that will be offered in fall 2011. "We have a graduate center in Philadelphia so it gives us an opportunity to conduct courses from Lincoln, since they can be relayed to the graduate center and online," said Gibb.
"Education has always been very competitive, so it's really just joining the trend, making yourself more marketable and meeting the demands of your demographic," said Gibb. "Most of the time it's about convenience. We believe we are a premiere educational institution and want to stay current."Lincoln plans to offer graduate courses first, since their programs are geared towards working adults. "The more convenient we make it for them the better," she said. Lincoln offers masters degrees in Human Services, Education, Reading and Science Administration.
Still Room for Growth
"We've learned a lot anecdotally over the last several months," said Foote, whose marketing team is beginning to mine data from HBCUsOnline.com. "As we go forward we are interested in helping universities to see where there is a high level of interest and encourage more schools to offer more programs in those areas."
|health |health clinic |health services |
http://www.articlesbase.com/online-education-articles/historically-black-colleges-reach-out-to-students-online-4437686.html The State Of Online Learning In America Play Free Online Poker Watch Lyon vs Rennes Online via PC STREAM Factors That Will Inform You When You Have Found A Good Way To Make Money Online How The Right Online Ordering System Can Add An Additional 40% To Your Bottom Line Big Night In Online Bingo Promo at Bet365 Bingo Keep You Teams On Task Through Online Project Management - 1 Advantages of Buying Christening Presents Online Burberry Online Store Is The Sale Of Goods Described You Can Buy Wedding Presents Online Conveniently The Superb Burberry Outlet Online You Can Select Burberry Online Store Heartily World Burberry Outlet Discount Online Store