NAMED NATIONAL FOUR-YEAR DAILY NEWSPAPER OF THE YEAR FOR 2020-21 IN THE COLLEGE MEDIA ASSOCIATIONâS PINNACLE AWARDS
Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2022
Volume 159 No. 2 WWW.SJSUNEWS.COM/SPARTAN_DAILY
SERVING SAN JOSE STATE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1934
100%_remote_undergraduate_degree SJSU Online will open three admissions cycles for Californians for five bachelorâs programs on Sept. 1. Admitted students can begin classes in January on two-to-three roadmaps to completion in: Anthropology, B.A. Economics, B.A. Information Science and Data Analytics, B.S. Interdisciplinary Engineering, B.S. Interdisciplinary Studies, Educational and Community Leadership Concentration, B.A.
ALL INFOGRAPHICS BY BRYANNA BARTLETT; SOURCES: AUG. 8 SJSU NEWS RELEASE & 2021 CALIFORNIA COMPETES REPORT
SJSU to offer online degrees By Alessio Cavalca STAFF WRITER
Education is a fundamentally societal aspect and even if obtaining a degree may be millions of high school graduatesâ goals in the U.S., it isnât obvious for students to complete higher educational paths. According to a report published by California Competes in February 2021, more than 2.5 million Californians ages 25-54 have attended college without completing a bachelorâs degree. Financial difficulties, busy work schedules and family complications are aspects that influence whether or not students complete bachelorâs degrees. San Jose State announced in an Aug. 8 news release that it will establish a solution to that problem after considering the California Competes report. Admissions for the new âSJSU Onlineâ begins on Sept. 1 and is designed for California students who need flexibility in their schedules, according to the same news release. Ronald Rogers, university interim vice provost for academic innovations and online initiatives, said SJSU Online will comprehend five undergraduate programs. The three new bachelorâs degree online programs include economics, anthropology and interdisciplinary engineering, which will be joined with two already-existing online programs: interdisciplinary studies, educational and community leadership and information science and data analytics. âThe goal is to expand the number of degree programs at SJSU Online,â Rogers said. âWe are planning to offer more opportunities to our students.â While the new online program only permits Californians to apply, the university intends to expand the applicant pool to other states in the future, according to the SJSU news release. There will be three rolling admission cycles and students may begin classes as early as January on two-to-three year roadmaps, according to the same news release. âThe mission of this program is to provide access to education to all those
Percentage of Californians by race, ages 25-54, who do not have a college degree LATINX
71%
BLACK
61%
WHITE
42%
ASIAN
29%
50% of Californians ages 25-54 do not have a college degree students who face difficulties attending regular classes,â said Ronald Rogers, SJSU interim vice provost for academic innovations and online initiatives. âWe want to provide a flexible schedule in order to make it possible for students to work and study at the same time.â Rogers said students who donât complete their educational paths are often âforcedâ to do so. He said the impossibility of attending classes in person is often related to the interruption of the studies for many students. âTraditional instruction modalities are not accessible to everybody,â Rogers said. âThere are students who cannot move to our campus,
while others are not able to attend classes every day of the week and for this reason, we worked to grant access to education and degrees to those students.â He said SJSU Onlineâs instruction modality will be online asynchronous to provide the students with the flexibility they need to get degrees. âFlexibility is one of the central aspects that made me choose SJSU Online,â said Jennifer Salinas, SJSU senior whoâs been majoring in interdisciplinary studies, educational and community leadership since Fall 2021. âAs a student worker, it is essential to have asynchronous instruction [because] it helps with a busy work schedule.â
Salinas said while asynchronous instruction can lead to distractions and lack of social relationships, she doesnât experience many impediments with online learning. âPersonally, I have no hard times with distractions while studying,â she said. âIt is up to the student to manage his or her time in order to be able to obtain good results.â Salinas said even though online classes that she previously had during SJSUâs online and hybrid modalities were asynchronous, she had occasional Zoom meetings per the professorsâ syllabi. âWhen I started the online degree program in Fall 2021, we were less than 30 people,â she said. âIt was really easy and natural to get in touch and build up a strong group even if we are online.â Rey Penate, SJSU senior director of online recruitment, said itâs ultimately up to the professor if they wish to arrange a few Zoom meetings though the classes will be effectively 100% online. Penate said even if SJSU Online is built to be an asynchronous instruction modality, it is fundamental to not let students feel alone. He said the program will offer solid and concrete support to the students starting at the beginning of their university careers. âEnrollment counselors help students with their registration,â Penate said. âThen, once they are admitted to the program, they will meet program advisers in order to choose the proper educational path for their future.â He said students will also have regular check-ins with their advisers and counselors. Ronald Rogers said SJSU Online also focuses on getting students internships. âAlthough there is not an internship program for our students, we have a staff [that is] recruiting students who desire to take an internship and we connect them to companies and organizations, offering internship positions,â Rogers said. Follow the Spartan Daily on Twitter @SpartanDaily