By DAVID DUPONT
BG Independent News
The university’s second Winter Session has gotten a passing grade.
Provost Joe Whitehead said numbers were up almost across the board with a total of 1,420 students enrolled in some kind of credit-bearing class.
That’s up from 1,062 from Bowling Green State University’s inaugural Winter Session in 2019, which itself beat expectations.
Whitehead said more students in each class took part. The numbers increase with students standing: 80 freshmen, 184 sophomores; 314 juniors; and 575 seniors.
There are more students taking courses to catch up after a “hiccup” in their academic process and more who want to accelerate their progress toward graduation, he added.
The figures were provided by Betsy Winters, Data Analytics Coordinator for Online & Summer Academic Programs.
Whitehead was particularly impressed with the growth in the number of guest students, 200, who took courses during Winter Session. “We more than doubled the number of guest students. That’s really good.”
That number shows BGSU is not just serving students in degree programs.
Depending on who those students are this could be a recruitment opportunity for the university.
Figuring that out will take a little more digging into the numbers, he said. That will take time, especially with Spring Semester starting right on the heels of the end of the Winter Session.
The number of total courses was up, but the growth was in online courses. Traditional face-to-face classes, of which 17 were offered, were about the same as last year. That’s less than half of those proposed. Courses are only given if enough students enroll.
The increase came in the 53 online courses offered. These, Whitehead said, offer “maximum flexibility for students who may want to go home to work. Online is conducive to that.”
He noted that the Career Center is also offering face-to-face courses, with non-traditional delivery.
There were 10 study abroad courses offered as well.
Whitehead said it is too early to assess the session to see what opportunities that can be tapped or what challenges need to be addressed.
