The additions will help engage students that are not always apt to participate in an open classroom setting.

Next semester the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee will increase online classes from 115 to 124, adding to its already diverse curriculum.

The additions are intended to add to an already expansive online directory of courses that are offered to students in almost all areas of study.

The Journalism and Mass Communication (JMC) Department will be tripling its online class offerings starting in the fall semester. This will give way to more diverse opportunities to engage in different types of course work and study within the department.

As both a professor and head of the undergraduate program in the JMC department, Dave Pritchard said he believes it will help expand the appeal of not only the JMC program, but all areas of study at UWM.

The additions will help engage students that are not always apt to participate in an open classroom setting. It is the diverse appeal of the online structure that will entice students to participate and grow there educational experience as they move through their degrees, said Pritchard.

Chad Zahrt, assistant dean at the College of Information Studies, said that online classes help with his schools large number of graduate students.

We have so many online classes because that way more people have access to our information and our program, Zahrt said. Were really not like the other schools at UWM.

Information Studies use online classes as a way to reach out to students from outside the Milwaukee area and even outside Wisconsin who want to go through the program from the convenience of their current location.

If you have someone in rural North Dakota who wants to take our classes, this makes it easier for them, Zahrt said. Were meeting a need.

But the online classes come at a cost to students. Depending on what college the class is offered in, it could cost a student in excess of $267 more per course taken, the rate for L&S classes.

Tom OBrien, College of Letters and Science associate dean, said the extra charge goes to support the development of online classes within the college. About a fifth of the fee goes to the department and the rest goes to college as a whole.

OBrien teaches Math 106 online and plans to develop a voice-over PowerPoint presentation to supplement his course.

Im probably going to have some graduate student help â?¦ Then Ill ask for money from this fund for enhancement for this class, OBrien said.

Prior to spring semester, taking one three-credit L&S class online could cost nearly $1,000 if it was taken in addition to a 12-credit course load due to a UW Board of Regents policy. Since then the cost has been standardized at $267.

This could end up being a deterrent for students who dont believe that the convenience of an online course justifies the increase in tuition payment.

Danielle Johnson, a junior in the JMC program, has engaged in an online course and has wavering opinions about online education.

I was enrolled in the JMC 450 online course and thoroughly enjoyed it â?¦ but knowing how much more tuition I would have to pay would most likely deter me from enrolling in another online course, Johnson said.

Pritchard said the idea of online-based education can be beneficial for both students and the university, but they should not be solely defined by the convenience and flexibility that the courses might provide.

It would be convenient for every student to receive an A, but thats not the way education is structured, Pritchard said. Whether its a course instructed online or in the classroom, education is intended to challenge and create successful students.

Stephanie Brien contributed to this article.

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