By Eshaan Sarup
Ten years ago, a raging debate over the future of online courses led to the resignation—and reinstatement—of former University of Virginia president Teresa Sullivan. Now, after two years of pandemic-prompted virtual classes at UVA and schools across the country, online learning seems to be here to stay. However, the question of how an online education compares to in-person classes is still hard to answer.
Enrollment rates at UVA suggest demand for online education is high. The UVA School of Continuing and Professional Studies, which offers a slate of degree completion programs and certificates tailored to older students looking to change careers or continue their education while still working, claims record-breaking enrollment in its online-only Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies Program.
“I really appreciated everyone’s understanding when my son was on my lap during class, or if we could get up and get something to eat,” says Carla Hallman, who graduates from the BIS program this semester and was able to complete her degree while working full time and raising her son.
Bladen Finch, who recently completed UVA’s Certificate in Public Administration Program, also needed his classes to fit around his schedule as a full-time employee for the state government.
“There’s a lot of uncertainty with my job schedule,” he says, “and so having something that afforded more flexibility with the uncertainties, constantly changing work schedules, I mean, what could be more appealing?”
On its website, the UVA School of Continuing and Professional Studies points out that the university as a whole was ranked as the No. 1 best value public university by the Princeton Review in 2018—but it doesn’t specify accolades for the online education offerings alone. The SCPS homepage beckons potential students to “let UVA come to them” and “join the UVA family.” The FAQ section of the website says that “graduates of [UVA SCPS degree programs] are entitled to the same privileges and opportunities available to all students who have earned degrees from the University of Virginia.” An article under the news section of the website claims “employers may not realize you graduated from an online program unless you choose to bring it up in an interview.”
But when asked if an online degree through UVA SCPS holds the same value as a traditional in-person UVA degree, Alex Hernandez, the dean of SCPS, declines to answer directly, and instead reframes the issue.
“People go to different programs for different reasons. And so each program has its own population. And the program has its own outcomes, and it has its own objectives,” Hernandez says.
He argues that pitting online vs. in-person learning isn’t a useful comparison and notes that only 30 percent of the adult population in this country has a bachelor’s degree.
“And so if we’re going to meaningfully expand the number of people who are educated, it’s not because we’re going to keep opening traditional programs. We have lots of traditional programs across the country,” he says. “It’s because we’re gonna find new ways to innovate, to create high-quality programs that meet people where they are. And when people have successfully done that, you know, we’ve seen a lot more students get educated.”
SCPS’ objective—to increase access to a quality education and “meet people where they are”—appeals to many of the students and faculty that C-VILLE interviewed.
Charlotte Matthews, who teaches writing to BIS students, offers high praise.
“I just feel like this program is a real gem in a world where sometimes life happens and people don’t march to the exact same drum,” she says, describing SCPS students as “highly motivated students who are getting a second chance. They’re taking classes and they’re working full time.”
Hallman says she would “highly recommend” the BIS program to all nontraditional students looking to complete their degree.
“UVA SCPS has been a highlight through these last two years,” she says. “From day one, I felt everyone at SCPS was invested in my success.”
Despite positive faculty and student testimonies, there is little hard data to support the program’s success. While UVA SCPS boasts three different degree programs and 12 different certifications, the official Destination Report for 2020 only has data for two degree programs—the interdisciplinary BA and the health care management BA. Moreover, only nine BIS graduates reported their salaries.
Asked about that lack of data, Hernandez notes that a lot of information tracked by the Department of Education is for full-time students only. He says UVA, like many other universities, does not participate in gainful employment reporting although he believes that would be helpful.
“You can imagine a world where higher education institutions come together and do more research on career outcomes and employment data,” he says. “That would actually create a lot of opportunity to measure the effectiveness of professional programs across the country.”
Hernandez, who also serves as UVA’s vice provost for online learning , says that online education should be considered on a case-by-case basis. “We know [all other programs at UVA] can be offered fully online, I think the question is…for each one of our schools…what’s their vision for their programs that they’re trying to accomplish academically? Who are they trying to serve?”
Hernandez cites the example of the new UVA Nova initiative, which caters to the working adult population.
“It’s not going to be 23,000 students in Northern Virginia, going to school full time, in-person format,” he says. “And so I think that’s going to be a really great way for us to figure out…how do we run our great programs in different ways for different student populations that change lives. At the end of day, that’s what we’re trying to do.”