Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com • April 6, 2020 • Hartford Business Journal 15 the pandemic certainly added urgen- cy," Reitz said. "I won't say it's been an easy process, but we're working through various hiccups and making improvements every day." The University of Hartford got into online learning early in 2006, said R.J. McGivney, UHart's associate vice president for continuing education and institutional effectiveness. The private university currently has eight programs fully online, including its online MBA program, which debuted in 2012 and is growing exponentially. In 2018, 425 students enrolled in UHart's MBA online program; that number more than doubled last spring to 984 enrollees. Like Galvin, McGivney also said professors and students forced to teach or take classes online might find they are effective, or even a preferred method of learning. Online learning does have some pitfalls, though, especially among students who are less motivated, or who have more difficulty with the subject matter, said Amy Feest, inter- im dean of academic affairs at Tunxis Community College in Farmington. "Online learning is not easier than traditional classes, you really have to be committed," said Feest, who in 1998 served on a six-person team that de- signed the state college and university system's first online courses. "The problem with a community college is … you [often] have an 18-year-old who struggled in high school, who's not sure what they want to do in the first place, and you put them into a fully online environment." Tunxis faculty are currently deal- ing with this issue by calling each of the school's 4,000 students to ensure they are able to login to their classes, and offer any needed guid- ance, Feest said. The school is also allowing some students to retake a course on-campus at a later date. Changing landscape Carnevale, of the Center for Education and the Work- force, said many non-selective, four-year schools — es- pecially liberal- arts institutions — will close in coming years as the nation sees a drop in college- age people, and students shift how they select a school. But the college campus won't completely die off, he said, noting that elite institutions like Yale and Harvard will always have a place in U.S. higher education. Additionally, if the federal gov- ernment begins providing more funding to colleges and universi- ties — which Carnevale believes will happen over the next decade — schools will be under increased pressure to control costs. That could include reining in spending on col- lege campuses, many of which have been a breeding ground for new buildings and dorms in recent years. "I do think it's going to make us rethink how we use space, how much space do we really need … and I'm not convinced that all of the institutions in New England are going to survive this," said Bertolino, Southern's president. But higher-ed officials also say that even as colleges go further in the direction of online learning, there will always be a need for the American college campus. "UConn will never reach a point at which we stop offering in-person, hands-on learning at our campuses," Reitz said. "So much of what we do is experiential through labs, group collaborations, and other experienc- es that are best in person. Hopefully, we'll be able to offer the best of both worlds with the lessons we learn during this unusual time." R.J. McGivney, Associate Vice President for Continuing Education and Institutional Effectiveness, University of Hartford PHOTO | ISABEL CHENOWETH, SCSU Southern Connecticut State University President Joe Bertolino. Do you know of an outstanding family-owned business? FAMILY MAKES THE DREAM WORK. VISIT WWW.HARTFORDBUSINESS.COMHBJEVENTSFAMILYBUSINESSAWARDS TO NOMINATE TODAY. SILVER SPONSOR: PRESENTED BY: PLATINUM SPONSORS: NOMINATION DEADLINE: 4/30

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