New Online Options Add Flexibility to EIU Hybrid Transfer Programs
May-19-2014
Three Eastern Illinois University transfer programs are adding more online classes to their programs to make them more attractive to transfer students – particularly from community colleges.
“We’re already very transfer-friendly,” said Rita Pearson, the director of transfer relations at EIU. “But these new hybrid programs replace some of the face-to-face classes with online options to reduce the amount of time transfer students need to spend on the EIU campus.
“Our transfer students – who make up nearly 40 percent of our student body – often have families and very busy lives,” Pearson said, “so we wanted to make it as easy as possible for them to complete their bachelor degree at Eastern.”
Each of the three programs – in Psychology, Recreation Administration and Family and Consumer Sciences -- have already worked with their community college partners to align their courses so that students don’t have to re-take classes once they transfer to Eastern.
“Our faculty members have worked with their community college counterparts to match learning requirements and courses so that the credits transfer smoothly into our programs and our transfer students can jump right into the upper division courses,” she said.
While each program is different, all have added the option to replace a portion of their regular classes with an option to take the class online.
“An overwhelming majority of students would prefer to take classes in a traditional classroom,” Pearson said, “but that just won’t work for some students – and particularly for our transfer students.
“These new options will open our programs to many more students who might otherwise find it difficult to complete their degree,” she said.
She also noted that the three transfer programs are just the first of many hybrid programs to be offered by Eastern with other programs and additional online options are already in development.
