Similar programs have been successful in other institutions, including UCLA Extension, where more than 12,000 students take online courses every year.
The main university does not offer online classes, said Kathy McGuire, the director of the distance learning program at UCLA Extension.
There are anywhere between 225 and 270 separate courses offered online every quarter, taken by students from across the United States and 80 different countries.
At Loyola Marymount University, online classes are less prevalent. One program offers online learning to about 30 masters students in the School of Education.
The students take 10 different courses over a two-year period, graduating with a master’s degree in child and adolescent literacy at its conclusion. The program has given students — many of whom work full-time — flexibility with both their work and family lives.
Candace Poindexter, the director of the literacy program, found she does miss the face-to-face interactions that she can get through a live classroom.
“I respond to e-mail and have discussion boards when they will voice concerns and questions,” she said. “But it’s still not quite the same as being face to face. On the other hand, I’m able to get education to people who wouldn’t be able to get here.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on September 1, 2007. Read the original PDF.