/24-7PressRelease/ - REDWOOD CITY, CA, July 30, 2008 - Sky-high gas prices have many people making dramatic changes to their lifestyles, and for some, it's changing the way they learn and earn their degree.
With most students looking for ways to take classes without having to drive, taking courses online is becoming the option of choice. Across the country, enrollment in online classes is skyrocketing right along with gas prices. The trend has primarily picked up in two-year colleges serving rural areas, where many teachers, tutors and students drive long distances and public transportation is harder to come by. In Some institutions like NWACC, online classes rose more than 70 percent in 2008 alone.
As gas prices continue to climb, a growing number of teachers and tutors are further supporting online classes in order to save 20% on their fuel tab. TeachVirtually's free easy-to-use virtual classroom system ranks among the most adopted online platforms. The system is an on-demand e-learning platform, carefully engineered for teachers and tutors to use in teaching their own students via screen and voice-sharing platforms from anywhere and at anytime.
Many institutions in Alabama and Iowa are using the TeachVirtually online system for their students, and the idea is spreading fast.
Heidi, a physics teacher/ tutor from Meridian Community College says: "With gas prices pushing towards $4 a gallon, I am much better off using TeachVirtually to teach my students from any computer with an internet connection."
Ben Thatcher, Professor at Southeastern Community College in Iowa, says his "students, who on average drive 30 miles round-trip to school, could save $250 or more a semester with TeachVirtually based on recent pump prices. " He adds: "When you're working a minimum-wage job and taking care of a child or two, that could be a lot of money."
Although, officials in many colleges and universities have noticed that online classes are filling up almost as soon as they're offered and much quicker than their regular classroom counterparts, not everyone is positive with regards to adopting an e-learning approach to most classes because of gas costs.
Terry Calhoun, spokesman for the non-profit Society for College and University Planning, says he doubts the trend will expand to colleges where most students live on or near campus. Yet rising gas prices will affect behavior at such schools, as we have already seen.
Ben Kirane, TeachVirtually CEO, sees the situation differently: "the goal of our TeachVirtually system is not to substitute in-class learning but to provide a supplemental approach to the education world. With Teach Virtually, you could take a hybrid class in math or physics, for example, in which you may meet two out of four times online. This will benefit students and professors, teachers or tutors."
If you are interested in using or trying the TeachVirtually platform, you can register at:
http://www.speakitall.com/Forms/Referral/teach-virtually-sign-up.php "
# # #
Read more Press Releases from Matt Azeriah:
