All demonstration program participants

·        Synchronous online instruction – students at home log onto computers that are linked through the Internet to faculty and students in a classroom. They can interact with others in the classroom using communication tools such as an online chat function.  Students have the option of viewing the streaming video of the class at a time of their own choosing, but by doing so they lose the opportunity to interact.      

Southern Christian University

            The number of students enrolled in distance education programs offered by the initial cohort of participants has more than doubled since the 1998-99 academic year, from just under 13,000 to over 27,000.  This growth is concentrated in degree programs, rather than certificate programs.  Only a few of the participants report that they offer certificate programs by some form of distance education and all but one of these report very low enrollments.  The exception is Capella University, which has more than doubled its offerings of online graduate certificate programs in three years.  Data are reported in the aggregate rather than by individual certificate program, so all that can be said about enrollments is that the ratio of the number of programs to the number of students has increased from 1:2 to 1:6. 

It is common for certificate programs to consist of a subset of courses from the institution’s degree programs.  In many cases, students do not identify themselves as certificate-seeking at the outset.  Rather, they request the certificate after they have completed the requisite number of courses and make the decision that they will not continue to earn a degree, or upon completion of the degree program.  Many institutions consider it a good marketing strategy to offer short-term certificate programs to attract students who may have specific training or professional development needs.