For most college students, summer is a time to glory in the prospect of being free of classes. Some spend the time traveling, while others work at a summer job. But at the University, an increasing trend shows that more students are opting to take summer and online courses.

Online courses are offered for those who wish to take classes through the Internet, without direct teacher-student face-to-face interaction. Courses through the University give students nine months to complete class work.

According to the Illinois Virtual Campus Web site, public universities in Illinois had 12,685 online enrollments in Fall 2004, and community colleges had 33,405 in the semester.

Julian Parrott, director of the General Curriculum Center and assistant dean of LAS, said students might opt for summer and online courses for a variety of reasons. Over two-thirds of students he meets with express an interest in summer offerings, he said.

“(Interest and participation are) very heavy freshman and sophomore summers,” said Parrott. “Summer courses have always been a great opportunity for students.”

Students may not want heavy course loads during the year, like the flexibility that online courses offer or wish to devote time to one particular class, he said.

Andrea Myers, first-year graduate student at the University, decided to take two online-based summer courses through Guided Individual Study (GIS) to finish requirements of her major early to pursue graduate school for physical therapy.

“It was an easy way to take a class over the summer,” Myers said. “You just do the readings, assignments and tests at your own pace.” Myers also said it is a benefit for those students who are independently motivated and do not mind not physically attending lecture.

Of the classes she took online – Anthropology 103 and Anthropology 143 – Myers stayed on schedule and used the full nine months for the courses.

“The fact that I had to finish the class (motivated me),” Myers said.

“It could be a good or bad thing,” said Parrott about the online courses. “Under 50 percent of students who take classes complete them.” Students must have good time management and commitment, and some students just prefer the physical interaction with peers and teachers in a classroom setting, he said.

Likewise, Shari Grindley, office manager of GIS and Academic Outreach, said some students don’t have time to allow for extensive lectures – which may be at a slower pace than an individual student. Students have the opportunity to work at their own pace because they have nine months to complete each course, and if they do not want to be overloaded during the year can enroll for an online course at anytime, she said.

“The online courses are very popular now,” said Grindley. “The number (of students) enrolled online has greatly climbed.” A greater variety of courses online are becoming available, she said.

Despite the benefits online courses offer, Parrott said students should be aware they tend to cost more. Also, students should be cautious when considering summer courses at community colleges, as the University does not accept all classes to transfer for equal credit, he said.

In his experience, one of the most common summer courses is Psychology 100, Parrott said. Online, the class is $938. It is significantly cheaper at community colleges – $288 at Parkland Community College – but students may have to take more than one course for an equivalent University course credit.

“Any grade not from the U of I will not be counted towards your GPA,” Parrott said. He said the credits will be shown for summer classes on transcripts. But all courses through GIS, which is associated with the University, will factor into a student’s GPA.

Students should consult with their adviser to determine if summer work is optimal for their course of study, Parrott said. The Course Applicability System online allows students to identify what courses, or how many courses, will be needed to transfer for credit at the University.

“They (may) think it is an econ class, but it comes up as a different econ class (when credit is transferred to the University),” said Parrott.

Parrott said a wider variety of courses are available, everything from the 100-level to graduate level, for students who attend summer school on the University campus.

“The campus is light and refreshing (for summer courses),” Parrott said. “There has been an increase in demand for U of I summer offerings.”

He said there are fewer students, professors are a little more relaxed, more people enjoy the warm weather, and that grades are even slightly better.

But for students planning on graduating early by taking summer courses, Parrott recommends taking into consideration the possible negative effects.

“By graduating early you’re actually selling yourself short,” Parrott said, although he did acknowledge the benefits of saving the cost of additional semesters at the University.