But in 2000, many college students aren t concerned about roommates and dorms because they have spouses, children and mortgages, or they simply cannot afford the luxury of four or five years of a residential university education. Statewide, community colleges serve approximately 373,000 students a year. The average age of community college students is 37. Sixty-three percent are older than 25. For the 86 percent of all community college students who are part time, the perfect college experience has less to do with nostalgia and more to do with flexibility and accessibility.
Online college is about access and formats and schedules that meet the needs of students.
As community college board members, we can assure you that Oregon community colleges are working hard to provide comprehensive college opportunities for students online not to try to save money. Online instructional strategies allow the colleges to offer courses to all Oregonians no matter what time or location limitations they might have. The door is open for a quality college education for everyone, not just to those who can drive to a particular location on a regular schedule. Sullivan remembers fondly the importance of his interactions with his professors. We would suggest that the opportunities and requirements for interaction that faculty build into the design of their online courses provide students with an equal, if not superior, level of interaction as compared with what one might find in a typical classroom setting.