AMES, Iowa - The weekend of Aug. 22, more than 27,000 students are expected to arrive in Ames for fall semester classes.
Some Iowa State students, however, will not be coming to Ames.
Instead, they will be taking classes via computer at home or work from around Iowa, the country and the world.
Still others will come to Ames and go to classes, and after classes are done, they will supplement their course load by taking remote classes from their residence halls or apartments.
More and more Iowa State students are finding that going to class is just one way to get their education.
Distance education courses are nothing new at Iowa State. For more than a century, courses have been offered off campus.
The university now offers courses leading to advanced degrees and certificates in central Iowa and throughout the state, and classes for professional advancement and many options through Extension.
And ISU is not alone.
The United States Department of Education estimates that 600 public, four-year institutions offer some form of distance education.
One of the most interesting changes may be that on-campus students are now taking "distance education" classes from their rooms.
"On-campus students are choosing to get some of their classes through distance education because it works in their schedule," said Laura Doering, senior associate registrar. "It's just another option for them."
With better and more accessible technology, distance education is growing quickly, with ISU classes seeing annual enrollment increases of 5, 12 and 22 percent over the last three years, according to Doering.
Doering warns that last year's number may be somewhat inflated because of a very popular course relating to Iowa's presidential caucuses and the election.
In 2008, 8,919 people took courses through distance education at Iowa State, and about half of those were taken by on-campus students. The rest were distance learners who took courses via the Internet, through face-to-face courses around the state as well as other programs.
Distance education continues to grow. Some have feared that the increasing distance education options would mean a corresponding loss in on-campus students.
For ISU, that hasn't been the case.
David Holger, associate provost for academic programs, says that offering online classes does not decrease the number of on-campus students.
"People have told us that by offering these distance ed courses, we were going to see drops in on-campus enrollment," said Holger. "That is not happening."
Traditional-age students seeking bachelor's degrees are looking for something more than book learning when they pursue a degree, according to Holger.
"Young people need to grow personally as well as get subject content," said Holger. "That's why I'm convinced we haven't seen a drop (in on-campus enrollment) while distance education is growing. It's because the distance stuff is appealing to working adults and the bachelor's stuff is for students who need to grow personally."
While personal growth is important, taking courses online gives students the same education that they would get in the classroom setting. Both traditional, face-to-face learning and distance learning are valuable to the student, according to Doering.
"They are getting an Iowa State education. Regardless of delivery, every course has one course number, title and description; and each course is approved by the faculty senate," she said. "Whether the course is delivered through distance education or in an on-campus classroom, a student completing that course will have been exposed to the same course content and acquired the same course competencies."
Holger says that is an outgrowth of Iowa State's long-held policy. "That's been our core philosophy at Iowa State," said Holger.
"Distance credit courses we offer are going to be the same quality offered by the same people as on-campus courses."
For students who don't come to campus, options continue to expand. They also are more suited to students' needs.
The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences offers a Master's of Science in Agronomy program that has been successful for more than a decade.
This program is only offered through distance education and is not available on campus.
The M.S. in Agronomy was started in 1998 and has grown to 118 students.
With 10 to 15 students graduating each year, the program now comprises more than half of all registered graduate students in the Department of Agronomy.
Ken Moore, professor in agronomy and one of the architects of the M.S. in Agronomy program, said the idea of offering it only through distance education was a choice made to best serve the students.
"We started this program because we are geographically located in the heart of the seed industry," said Moore. "Most of our students are working in the field and couldn't really get to campus. So this is the best way we could serve this population."
Completing the degree program takes from two to six years and requires only two visits to campus, one about halfway through the program, and another near the end.
All courses are held over the same 16-week schedule as on-campus students.
The courses are delivered to students both by compact discs and online.
Most students access the course information on the Web and also use the CD to view course content while they are travelling or otherwise away from Internet access. The CD also allows agronomy professionals to keep the learning materials as reference, the way many students retain textbooks.
The curriculum for this degree was designed over three years from the ground up as a distance education program.
Although it was designed for distance learners, the program's method of delivery has changed much since the program began 10 years ago as a result of changing technology.
"We've rebuilt the delivery system about three times," said Tom Schultz, program coordinator.
"When we started the program, most of the students were on phone-line access to the Internet," said Moore. "That made it difficult to access some of the information on the Web. Now I'd say about three-fourths of our students are studying online," he said.
Demographics for the M.S. in Agronomy program tend to be more rural students with more limited access to the Web, so about one fourth of the students still use the CD as the primary learning tool.
The agronomy program continues to grow, and Moore believes that distance learning is good for both student and university.
"I don't know where we get this idea that learning is about a place," he said. "Learning is about the students engaging with instructors and colleagues. And that can happen in a lot of ways.
"Distance education at its best is trying to extend the borders of the university beyond the physical borders. We are the ultimate expression of our land grant mission."