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This fall, over 73% of course sections at the Lerner College will be in-person, which means that many of our students will have at least one course online. Lerner had a substantial number of online offerings pre-Covid thanks to our Top-25 ranked Online MBA. When given the choice between in-person and remote learning though, we have found that even on-campus students often choose an online option – and with good reason as we detail below.

While we know that some students and parents may have doubts about online learning, at the Lerner College, we have been in the business of perfecting remote learning since long before the coronavirus pandemic. In fact, our Online MBA program, which launched in 2013, is now UD’s largest graduate program with nearly 500 students! With this in mind, I want to share with you what we at Lerner see every day, the incredible value of remote learning.

Greater Access to Courses

• Student athletes and students with other extracurricular, family or professional commitments, who would struggle to fit in-person courses with scheduled classroom times into their daily routine, can choose an online section and do their coursework when it best fits into their schedule. This can be the difference between finishing on time and needing an extra semester or two.

• More reserved students who would not raise their hands to ask questions in a classroom, and would not go to professors’ office hours, may feel more comfortable interacting and engaging in learning virtually.

• Students report to us they value the ability online to re-watch faculty presentations and see illustrations and example problems worked through several times.

• Students with a variety of disabilities (from mobility issues making the physical environment challenging, to cognitive issues improved by accessibility features built into our online tools) have benefited from the new avenues provided by online education. Students with processing or spectrum disorders get the benefit of contributing at their own pace, and through writing - allowing them to shine in ways that they might not in a live class.

Increased Opportunities for Connection

• Online courses often do a better job at creating a sense of community as interactions are not limited to the confines of a classroom, and students have more opportunity to engage with faculty, fellow students and content using digital tools that students quickly learn.

• Many Lerner faculty have shared that they often get to know their online students better than in-person. This is directly related to the extension of the classroom through online discussions and collaborations.

• Without the constraints of a specific time and location, there is more opportunity for faculty to bring in guest speakers, allowing students to network with professionals and experts around the world with online learning.

Build Skills Valued by Employers

• The employers we speak with are eager to see evidence of technological savviness and online learning capabilities. Experience with the use of online collaboration tools is a positive when firms are hiring.

• Companies expect new hires to continue learning and undertake skill training, and often that is through online courses, giving Lerner students an advantage in this area.

Constant Innovation and Cutting-Edge Resources

• UD has invested considerable resources to ensure quality online teaching and learning. You can view a list of remote learning resources available to students at the Lerner College on our college website here: https://lerner.udel.edu/seeing-opportunity/lerner-remote-resources/

• UD has increased the number of instructional designers who work with faculty to design quality courses. These designers help match available technology tools to learning outcomes, improve course organization, and build in instructor presence and design appropriate assessment activities, to ensure that online courses at UD are cutting-edge.

• The Lerner College has adopted and integrated a number of cutting edge technology tools, designed to enhance students’ participation and engagement in online learning, including: Yellowdig Engage, Poll Everywhere, Perusall and Feedback Fruits.

In today’s knowledge economy, we know that education and lifelong learning are foundations of success. The Lerner College stands ready to apply the most effective means to achieve great learning outcomes for our students.

Thanks for your interest.

Sincerely,

Bruce W. Weber

Dean of the Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics

University of Delaware