After implementing hybrid and online programs last summer, Miami University Hamilton has seen a 5 percent increase in enrollment and an 11 percent increase in diversity since last year - the highest diversity numbers the campus has had in 38 years.
A hybrid course offers 75 percent of its instruction in the classroom and 25 percent online. This is type of learning is tailored toward nontraditional students, whose schedules may have to balance a job, family and school. Interactive elements and virtual tours are some of the highlights of an online program.
Currently, the Hamilton and Middletown campuses offer traditional, online and hybrid classes.
"The two most pressing challenges identified on our campus last year were increasing competition and an enrollment decline," said Daniel Hall, dean of Miami Hamilton.
According to Hall, two years ago, the Hamilton campus went flat on enrollment; last year, they experienced an 8 percent enrollment loss.
In an attempt to combat these elements, faculty on Hamilton's campus formed a task force to write a seven-step initiative plan.
The Saturday Select Program, which is a hybrid program that offers classes on Saturdays for students to complete degree requirements in two or two and a half years, hopes to increase the opportunities offered for nontraditional students and was implemented as part of the task force, and is currently in effect.
"I think that students who choose to take online classes need to be self-motivated and responsible," said Julye Bidmead, assistant professor of religion at the Oxford campus. Bidmead will be teaching the Oxford campus' first online class, REL311 next semester; however the class will not be a hybrid, rather solely an online class.
Bidmead said that while her religion class is the only online course that will be offered next semester, more will likely be implemented for the 2007-08 academic year.
Johanna Moyer, history faculty member at Hamilton and who taught online classes elsewhere, said she has been much happier with instructing through the hybrid courses.
However, hybrid courses have downfalls as well, as the traditional means for instructing need to be restructured.
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"One of the challenges facing the hybrid courses are measuring and identifying learning objectives for classroom and online learning," said Beverley Taylor, professor of physics at Miami Hamilton.
The Degree Power Schedule Program was also implemented as part of one of the seven steps to increase opportunities for nontraditional students. In this program, students take night classes two nights a week toward an associate's degree in the arts, accommodating varying schedules.
The Hamilton campus student body was made up of 20 percent nontraditional students last year, compared to 60 percent in 1968. The task force hopes that the implementation of these programs will continue to increase the numbers of nontraditional students.
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