The online courses or Distance Learning that is being developed at BYU–Hawaii has become a very important part of the college curriculum. These courses offer the advantage of a good diversity of subjects and scheduling, and a reduction in tuition cost. These courses can also help students get started, adapt to unplanned occurrences in their lives, and aid in the completion of getting an accredited college degree.
Recently, Mindy Koch, a fulltime student at BYU–Hawaii graduating with a degree in International Business and a minor in Human Resources in April 2010, found the online course option welcoming when she needed an alternative route to graduation.
Koch had received notice that her husband would be returning from military duty in Iraq. Since he had been gone for two years, she and their two children wanted to spend as much time as they could with him before he left for a new military assignment in Maryland—he would only be home for a month.
She decided to continue school through online classes since these classes would give her the flexibility she needed while still being on schedule for her graduation.
Koch began by signing up for three courses from BYU–Hawaii online. But one of the classes she signed up for was only available to fulltime students, so she was forced to drop back to two.
Not to be deferred from her objective of getting her degree, she subsequently signed up for four online classes with another university, courses which were not currently provided online at BYU–Hawaii.
In the process, she found a marked difference with each experience.
Ultimately, the BYU–Hawaii online classes allowed Koch to take an active part with other students, even allowing for a tutor to help her through the experience—and, for Koch, this educational tailoring has made a major difference.
BYU–Hawaii is currently in the process of expanding the number of courses that are being offered. Current plans could make it possible for students to complete three years of accredited college classes online and, as a result, would only require campus attendance for one year. This online program in conjunction with the current Brigham Young University–Hawaii curriculum offers education without sacrificing practicality.
For further information about online course curriculum, click here