The program, one of the oldest in the country, was developed to give students who could not attend college the opportunity to take courses by correspondence. Today, some of those courses are taught electronically via the World Wide Web. The Independent Study Program is part of the university s Division of Lifelong Learning, which as the name implies is committed to providing educational services and programs to students throughout their lives. In addition to correspondence and Internet-based courses, the division oversees the university s summer session offerings and organizes workshops, conferences and noncredit courses ranging from salsa dancing to first aid. The primary aim of Lifelong Learning is to serve nontraditional students, says Thomas Shostak, dean of the division.
Independent study is the oldest part of the division.
Many people think that distance learning is a relatively new phenomena. At Ohio University, we ve been working for 75 years to help people continue learning, even if they haven t been able to come to campus. The majority of students enrolled in the Independent Study Program take correspondence courses and submit their assignments to an instructor by mail. A growing number of classes are taught through the Web, and students also can complete an independent study project under the guidance of a professor. Another option, course credit by exam, allows students to take Ohio University-supervised tests at other accredited colleges, universities or high schools.