College Course Frenzy: Help or Hinderance?

What CSU Doesn’t Tell you

By Treasure Davis, Serena Williams, and Jessica Johnson

Shamika Miller, third-year student at Columbus State University and Georgia resident, stared at her financial aid invoice in astonishment. Although she was aware of the increase in general tuition for the 2016–2017 school year, Miller didn’t expect that half of her classes would cost more than the other half.

Due to insufficient course scheduling by the university, she had to take three online classes in her six-class schedule. Those classes cost 5 percent more than her traditional on-campus classes.

“I ended up taking out an emergency loan to cover the extra cost,” said Miller. “And to also buy all the materials I needed in order to be prepared for those online classes.”

According to the admissions office, a three-hour traditional course cost $792.50 after course fees for an in-state student, not including other university fees. However, the same course taken online is $825, not including course or university fees.

Miller called the financial aid department to inquire about her invoice, but received little to no information about the difference in cost.

“The financial aid department is never helpful,” said Miller. “But what can you do when you need to graduate?”

The CSU News Team investigated why online classes cost much more than traditional classes and found complicated and not entirely satisfactory answers. The most plausible reason is that teachers have to be trained to teach online classes. But others — such as the fact that online classes have more students, and these students pay a premium for the convenience of online education — are more questionable.

Rise In Price

In 2015, 10 Georgia universities raised their tuition. According to Atlanta Journal-Constitution, CSU made the list with an increase of 2.5 percent. Officials state that this was necessary due to the campus’s growing population, and that the percentage is normal for a growing college.

However, amidst the 2.5 percent hike in tuition, the Georgia Board of Regents also approved 22 fee increases to several Georgia universities, including CSU.

“The hikes were needed for a variety of reasons, mostly involving needed resources to reduce class sizes, to retain and recruit quality faculty and to cover ongoing [operational] expenses on campuses,” the AJC reported.

By reducing class sizes, this creates an issue among upper-level students who may need a specific class, but are not able to register due to the capacity level of the class. For example, this semester a 3000-level criminal justice course was offered both on campus and online. The campus course seated 16 students, while the online course seated 24. However, the campus course filled up the first week of registration, leaving only the online course available for students.

While some classes offer a traditional class and an online class, the online classes tend to be larger, so it’s easier for students to get into these classes. But as Miller’s story shows, these students are often unaware of the higher costs.

Most Students Want Traditional Classes

The CSU News Team surveyed 25 students of various ethnicities, financial backgrounds, and college levels, to find out their preference for online or traditional classes. Only nine students responded that they would rather take online classes. Of those, five replied that, even though they struggle with paying online tuition, they take these classes because of the convenience and flexibility that they offer. The remaining four said that they are financially stable enough to pay for both online and traditional classes, but were unaware of the tuition difference.

A full two thirds said they would rather take traditional classes because of the cost, the interaction with professors, and for time management reasons. But these students often have no choice but to take online classes because of a shortage of seats available in traditional classes.

“It’s a shame that certain classes aren’t offered when you need them, especially upperclass students,” said Jasmine Carter, Senior English major at CSU.

“Yes, some majors offer course rotation schedules but it’s still like pulling teeth, said Carter. “I’ve registered for classes on the course rotation before and they ended up being cancelled, so is the rotation schedule even really helping?”

According to Aaron “Chip” Reese, Dean of Students, the university is undergoing rapid “growth.” So over the next ten years, Reese says, more traditional classes will be added along with more accessible online classes.

Online Stipend

One of the biggest reasons why online classes cost more is because teachers have to undergo additional training to be able to teach online, and to adapt their courses accordingly. This costs the university money in salary for training staff and computer facilities. In some cases professors are given extra compensation to learn how to use and operate online technology and because of the increased class capacity of online courses.

At the University of Georgia in Athens, the extra funds paid to these teachers are made possible by a “university fee” that all UGA students are required to pay.

However, at CSU the source of these funds is not disclosed. The CSU News Team reached out to campus officials to get this information, as well as information about tuition hikes, but received no response.

Despite the extra pay, not all CSU professors are interested in online teaching

“I have never taught an online course, but I was never asked to,” said Dr. Shannon Godlove. “I would have to re-learn how to teach in a new format.”

Moreover, Godlove says, a stipend is not guaranteed.

“From what I remember, professors are offered a one-time stipend,” said Godlove, “in order to aid in their training and a boost of support.”

After speaking to several other university professors, they also concluded that the school used to give stipends and it is now given periodically — voted on by officials depending on the degree of the class, the capacity, and other determining factors.

As for Shamika Miller, she is currently in the process of transferring to another school within the Georgia system, where she is expecting to finish up her last two semesters.

“I think I’ve had enough with CSU,” says Miller. “ I want to explore some other options and hopefully run into a better financial aid department.”

While the prospects of attending another school give Miller hope, she must now work with the financial aid to make sure all of her classes transfer accordingly.

“All I can do is hope for the best,” laughs Miller. “And try to press through the madness that may come.”