Because he lives in a small town in the hills of Kentucky, he would have few opportunities for this kind of continuing education in his chosen field. This visionary institution opened its digital doors for the fall 1999 semester with offerings of nine highly work-specific programs and 237 eager students taking one or more classes. We have been very pleased and somewhat surprised by the tremendous response. The complete online package includes the ability to register, file for financial aid, engage in study sessions with other students, interact with faculty and even seek career counseling. KCVU students include lawyers, teachers, librarians, accountants and a wide range of other professionals who need to update their education to stay abreast of current developments in their field but are too busy to follow a more traditional classroom route.
Some students live too far away from a university or college to be able to pursue a degree.
Still others need specialized courses that are not widely available. In this latter category, an online course for rural firefighters has proven extremely popular. Susman reports that students have been drawn from all over the commonwealth and as far away as Pakistan and France. As a result, the diversity of classes is truly staggering, with students of all ages, from all walks of life and many different parts of the world. Students are encouraged to learn from each other and to help one another in all ways.