Introduction
Calls for increase in the number of online courses is precipitated by the demand for study flexibility, ease of travel, demand of balance between work and study, lack of parking space and the need to save money and time. In addition to this, the introduction of online classes will definitely attract potential students with interests in special programs in Bauer such as Entrepreneurship and Global energy programs. There seem a lot of coordinated and interrelated problems that can be effectively handled by a simple solution. The introduction of more online courses remains the central solution to the myriad of problems students and professors face in Bauer.
Parking-lot and the crowed issue
The problem of parking in Bauer has increased this semester due to increase in the number of students. Bauer is a study center that hosts 4079 undergraduate students and this number is likely to increase this semester. This problem is further complicated by the fact that the parking lot is divided into half as compared to spring for the use of the new building – Calhoun Lofts Apartment. The parking space at Calhoun Lofts Apartment has a lot of empty parking spaces during the day while students at Bauer spend close to two hours in search of empty parking spaces. It becomes very difficult for these students to effectively balance schedules at school, schedules at work and parking demands due the fact that most of them go straight to school from work.
Flexibility and convenience
The introduction of online courses in Bauer will definitely lead to flexibility and convenience in handling work and study schedules for students and professors. Online courses will give the professors the time they need to update new information, involve in more research activities, improve on the quality of their lectures and find appropriate teaching techniques and methods. Furthermore, professors at the University of Houston spend a good fraction of their time on research and large amounts of funds are appropriated towards this course. According to Holdsworth(1), “Recently, 21 UH professors were awarded more than $2.5 million in research grants through the Norman Hackerman Advanced Research Program (ARP) for projects that include developing catalysts to use with alternative fuels, making pharmaceuticals to treat high blood pressure in diabetic patients, creating highly believable and expressive animated talking faces, and producing antibiotics to test their effectiveness in killing certain forms of cancer, ranking second only to The University of Texas at Austin in research allocation”. This demonstrates the extent to which the professor’s schedules are overstretched.
Cost-gas and car maintenance
The introduction of online courses will definitely lead to the reduction in expenses related to costs of gas and car maintenance. This is because the students will not use their cars to move to and from school but will take the course at their homes. Some of the students who study at Bauer live far away from the college and thus spend a lot of fuel, time and money in traffic. This money is best spent on other demanding roles such as purchasing of study materials to aid personal learning.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Bauer myriad problems can be solved by one solution- the introduction of online courses. The advantages of this system of study can be easily pointed out especially for an institution characterized by a continuous growth in the number of students. The best approach is to make the study process in Bauer a truly enjoyable experience by introducing the online study programs.
Work Cited
Holdsworth, Anne. Research Nets $2.5 Million in Grants for UH Professors. (2010). Web.