Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/67450
New kinds of Conference addresses serving online students' needs Whether or not Dave Peters realizes it, he is the type of student more than 250 librarians anxiously talked about at the national Off-Campus Library Services Conference in Cleveland. Peters is an undergraduate student who is close to completing his bachelor's degree in community development. But for nearly 20 years he hasn't taken a class toward his degree on CMU's Mount Pleasant campus or at any of its 60 locations worldwide. The 57-year-old father of three has completed his classes online. back for my degree several years ago, but my back started to give me trouble, and I had to stop, "I had tried to come " says Peters, who originally enrolled at CMU in 1972 and returned in the early 1990s. "With 105 credits on CMU's campus in Mount Pleasant prior to 1991, I never thought I would graduate. Learning online is making my degree possible. " Dave Peters is part of the nationwide trend of more university students enrolling in online classes. This was the topic of many conversations at the biennial conference CMU's Off-Campus Library Services hosted in April, says Timothy Peters, director of Off- Campus Library Services. "What's nice about the conference is it brings together off-campus librarians from across the nation to talk about the types of things we're all experiencing so we can learn from each other, " he says. The increase in online classes raises a lot of questions and changes regarding what off-campus librarians offer students, Timothy Peters says. Among these changes are more online tutorials and instructional sessions. CMU Off-Campus Library Services has proved to be a valuable component for Dave Peters as he completes his online courses. "The library services people have been excellent in following up with the questions I've had and with helping me find the information I need and putting my mind at ease knowing I'm using credible sources, he says. "What's exciting is that in one of my classes there are students from Saudi Arabia, Georgia, Virginia and California, and they have these library resources available to them as well. " " • connections Tracking online trends According to Marnie Roestel, manager of CMU Online Programs, CMU experienced a 20 percent growth rate in online programs over the past year, with 877 undergraduate-, graduate- and doctoral- level courses offered in the 2009-2010 academic year. Contributing to this trend are increases in the number of courses and degree programs developed for online delivery, as well as an increase in the number of students admitted to online undergraduate programs, Roestel says. In addition, she says 38 percent of off-campus students who take classes at CMU centers around Michigan also enrolled in an online class. "The busy lives of students make taking online courses a good fit, providing them with the convenience and flexibility they need to keep on track toward their educational goals, Roestel says. " She points out that there is no typical online student, explaining that an online class can consist of all types of students, such as a stay-at-home parent, a business executive, a soldier serving in Afghanistan, a retired lifelong learner, an unemployed worker looking to re-enter the workforce, and a traditional full-time student enhancing his or her regular campus class schedule. • earn a college degree when he graduates with his bachelor of science degree in community development this December. lives in Shepherd with his wife, Michelle, will be the last member of their family to his undergraduate degree if he wanted to re-enter the workforce. Peters, who Dave Peters knew after his professional position at Mid Michigan Community Action Agency was eliminated in February 2009 that he needed to earn 9