Rising Gas Prices Fuel Demand for Online Education
Prices at the pump have forced many Americans to rethink traditional campus-based learning, turning instead to online alternatives.
As gas prices continue to soar nationwide, cost-conscious students are increasingly turning to online programs to fulfill their educational needs. In an article appearing in the Seattle Post Intelligencer on the 23rd of June, one of the students interviewed noted that due to the high cost of gas, “[S]ome days right now it’s easier for me to miss class and miss work than to drive in.”
This choice between education and financial hardship is never one that students ought to be forced to make—hence the rising popularity of online learning.In order to meet the rising demand for online education, many universities and community colleges are expanding their online programs, with an eye towards maintaining the quality of the experience. Indeed, many stress that the only difference between an online course and a campus course is the location of the classroom. Ken Hartman, academic director of Drexel University Online, tells the Philadelphia Metro, “It’s the same degree that would be earned in a traditional classroom; the quality of the education is the same.”
As we all know, there is nothing we can do to control the prices at the pump. Cutting back on driving and making only necessary trips is the way to conserve.