4A NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAIRY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2006
ACADEMICS
Online classes stay steady despite demand
8Y KIM LYNCH
A recent study found enrollment in U.S. college online courses grew by almost 1 million students last year, but KU enrollment in online courses remained steady. Exact figures were not available at the time of publication.
Online students, who grew from 2.3 million in Fall 2004 to almost 3.2 million students in Fall 2005, make up nearly 17 percent of all higher education students, according to a study released this month by The Sloan Consortium. More than half of those students take online classes through two-year associate institutions.
The study defines online classes as courses where at least 80 percent of the material is delivered online.
Jean Redeker, assistant dean of continuing education, said independent study courses offered through Continuing Education and semester-based courses were the two types of long-distance education offered by the University.
"There certainly is a demand for more online learning from the population, but online learning is expensive and time-consuming," she said.
Time is an issue because the instructor must be available to answer e-mails and questions. It is a lot of work to teach and develop courses in an online environment, Redeker said.
"Most courses on campus are faceto-face courses that are supplemented by Blackboard or online components," she said.
In order to be considered an online class, the Board of Regents rule states two-thirds of the content must be delivered online, Redeker said.
Mary Morningstar, associate professor of special education, said that the biggest challenge with the online environment of classes was keeping the students engaged.
The online courses are more time-consuming up front because the teacher must get the class prepared so it can be put online, she said.
Morningstar has been teaching online courses about special education since 2003. The online courses offered by the special education department are specialized so people from all across the country are taking the class, she said.
"The need and desire to take online courses is increasing." she said.
Only around 20 students are allowed in each class to keep classes manageable. Last year, 60 students applied to take the class, she said.
Cameron Marsh, Lawrence senior, was taking Drugs and Society online through Continuing Education because the class wasn't offered during the semester he wanted to take it, he said.
"I'm taking my final next week," he said. "It's really quick if you want it to be."
Kati Benton, Ablene alumna, said she took six online courses in her undergraduate career. Two of those classes were taught through the KU Continuing Education and the other four classes she took through Cloud County Community College.
"I liked not having to wake up and go to class, but I didn't like having to guess what information the professor considered most important," she said.
The professors for her online classes were very prompt and answered all the questions she had within the day if not the next day, she said.
"It gives you a lot more free time" because there isn't an actual class to attend, he said.
Benton said she took online classes because she "wanted to get out of college," she said.
before, but now I wish I had taken more online classes," he said.
"I was kinda skeptical to take it
Although it would depend on the class, Benton said she would take online classes again.
Kansan staff writer Kim Lynch can be contacted at klynch@kansan. com.
Edited by Shanxi Upsdell
》 CRIME
Alleged liberties may not be tried
BY DAVID LINHARDT
Alexander Heasley, Overland Park sophomore, was charged in August with one count of criminal sodomy and two counts of indecent liberties with a child.
The case of a 20-year-old University of Kansas student charged with sex crimes against a minor might not come to trial.
Heasley's attorney, Tyler Garretson, told District Judge Stephen Six that he expected the charges against Heasley to be resolved without a trial.
Garretson said he hoped to spare the 15-year-old alleged victim from testifying. He said he and the district attorney's office likely had more evidence to gather, but that Heasley likely would not even need a preliminary hearing.
Garretson declined to elaborate further on the evidence in a pending case. Another hearing is scheduled for Jan. 9.
The nature of the charges against Heasley includes lewd fondling or touching of a 15-year-old girl at a
Lawrence residence, according to the Douglas County district attorney's office.
Assistant district attorney Angela Wilson, one of the case's main prosecutors, did not return calls Tuesday.
The victim and her family did not appear in court Tuesday, and their identities are being withheld to protect their privacy.
Heasley and the victim had met in a Yahoo chat room and contacted each other in person in mid-July, according to the Douglas County district attorney's office.
The victim's family made the initial report to Lawrence police, according to court documents. Lawrence police then arrested Heasley in his Lawrence apartment Aug. 16. He has been free on $25,000 bond since his first appearance in court.
Kansan staff writer David Linhardt can be contacted at dlinhardt@kansan.com.
CONGRESS
Edited by Brett Bolton
Democrats, Republicans debate leader positions
BY LAURIE KELLMAN ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON — Democrats are sharply divided over whether to give Speaker-to-be Nancy Pelosi the majority leader she wants in the House.
preted as endorsing segregationist policies of the 1940s.
Senate Democrats voted Tuesday to make Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada majority leader and Dick Durbin of Illinois No. 2 in the party hierarchy.
Former Republican Majority Leader Trent Lott, meanwhile, opened a bid to return to the Senate's Republican leadership after being ousted in 2002 for remarks inter-
In the House Pelosi said she would prefer Rep. John Murtha of Pennsylvania for major leader over current lieutenant, Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland. Critics accused Pelosi of backpedaling on a pledge to scrub the House of corruption.
Murtha, a decorated Vietnam veteran who favors an immediate drawdown of U.S. troops in Iraq, has fought charges for years of using his senior status on the defense appropriations subcommittee to award favors to campaign contributors. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a Democratic-leaning watchdog group, accused Pelosi of compromising her ethical standards by endorsing Murtha.
House Republicans are scheduled
to choose their new leaders Friday. There is a three-way race among John Boehner of Ohio, Mike Pence of Indiana and Joe Barton of Texas for minority leader.
Senate Democrats also filled some administrative posts. The new sergeant-at-arms will be Terrance Gainer, who was ousted earlier this year as chief of the U.S. Capitol Police after questions were raised about him hiring is son-in-law as a police officer.
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ATTORNEYS AT LAW
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