With On-Campus, Online, and Hybrid Classes, UNO Offers Flexibility for Students

From the Omaha World-Herald: A Massachusetts man had options when he decided to pursue a college degree with the hope of working someday for the federal government.

Shawn knew he had to continue working – he and his wife were expecting their first child – while he pursued a bachelor’s degree. He needed a program that offered flexibility and, after exploring his options, chose the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Shawn earned his bachelor’s degree in multidisciplinary studies, with a concentration in nonprofit administration, in 2019.

And he earned his degree by taking all his courses online.

UNO students, more than anything, look for flexibility not just in when they take classes, but how they take classes.

“They want the ability to manage their lives – their jobs and their studies – from semester to semester,” said Jaci Lindburg, UNO associate vice chancellor. “We know this because we regularly ask our students what they need and then align what we offer to meet those needs.”

Shawn’s story doesn’t end here. He and his family drove to Nebraska so Shawn could participate in UNO’s commencement ceremony. He and his family returned to Omaha three years later for him to receive his master’s degree in public administration.

There’s also Jackie’s story. She was on active duty at Offutt AFB and attending on-campus courses at UNO when she received orders to be stationed elsewhere. Rather than abandon her dream of earning a college degree, she pivoted and took the remainder of her courses online. She graduated with a Bachelor of Multidisciplinary Studies degree in May.

For students like Shawn and Jackie, providing them with a mix of on-campus, online, and hybrid (part online, part on-campus) courses is key, Lindburg said. “Some of our students may not want to come to campus for their classes – and we know not everyone can come to campus.”

“The focus on flexibility is by design,” Lindburg said. Prior to 2019 and the pandemic, about one-quarter of the credit hours students enrolled in at UNO were online or hybrid. That percentage now stands at over 40%, with coursework for dozens of degree programs offered entirely online, including business, criminology, and library sciences.

The mainstay program for flexibility is multidisciplinary studies – the degree Shawn and Jackie earned. “It’s flexible in so many ways,” Lindburg said.

Prompted by UNO Chancellor Joanne Li’s charge to respond to students’ call for more flexibility in courses offered, the university created the Division of Innovative and Learning-Centric Initiatives. Under Lindburg’s direction, the division supports UNO’s faculty in developing more online and hybrid courses to complement the university’s on-campus offerings.

UNO recently surveyed its students and learned that many are juggling multiple demands along with pursuing their college degree, including full-or part-time jobs and family commitments. As they find their way, degree programs that allow them to set their pace and approach are critical. “They asked us to help them be successful and meet their goals by providing that mix of online, hybrid and on-campus courses. That’s what we’re doing.”

Lindburg provided three benefits that online and hybrid classes offer students:

• Access to information: Online courses provide students with greater options about when and where they study and when they complete assignments.

• Flexibility with accountability: Although online courses offer flexibility, they still require accountability for students to keep pace, engage with their instructor and fellow students, and meet deadlines.

• Savings: Many faculty members no longer require students taking online courses to buy their textbooks. Instead, they offer free and reduced-cost digital course content online through the Open Nebraska program. “Faculty adopting these alternatives has saved UNO students $6.4 million over years.”

For more information about UNO’s online and hybrid course offerings, visit online.unomaha.edu.