UWG Receives High Rankings

The University of West Georgia received excellent rankings for five of their online programs. The programs and their rankings in the nation and in the University System of Georgia are as follows:

• 2014 Best Online Bachelor’s Program – 69^th in nation, 1^st highest ranking in USG
• 2014 Best Online Graduate Business Programs – 4^th in nation, 1^st highest ranking in USG
• 2014 Best Online Graduate Nursing Programs – 48^th in nation, 1^st highest ranking in USG
• 2014 Best Online Graduate Computer Information Tech Programs – 12^th in nation, 2^nd highest ranking in USG
• 2014 Best Online Graduate Education Programs –  89^th in nation, 5^th highest ranking in USG

According to the Dean of USG eCore and Execute Director of Extended Learning, Dr. Melanie Clay, the rankings for the online programs are quite important to UWG because they make a positive statement about the university’s successful online criteria and the many educational options that are provided to students.

“This particular ranking is one of the most well-known, and it i’s important for two reasons. First of all, it recognizes the great work that our faculty and staff are doing and confirms the amazing work that is going on at UWG in online delivery,” Clay said. “Secondly, it lets potential students know about us. This is critically important, particularly in Georgia, where we are all working hard to provide greater opportunities for college completion.”

Such great rankings seem to only encourage moving forward. According to Clay, changes are being made to the programs to provide “more consistency in the online experience for our students, improvements in the delivery platform (CourseDen – Desire2Learn) and a stronger integration of mobile technologies.”

Not only are there improvements to the online programs, but also Clay said that a few new programs will be arriving soon. Two of the programs will provide students with a Master of Education in either Early Childhood or Reading Instruction; another online degree is the Education of Doctor in Professional Counseling and Supervision.

“There are others in the making,” said Clay. “But it is premature to announce these until they have been fully developed and approved by the Board of Regents.”

The most amazing part about the online programs is the many benefits that the students and faculty gain. For one, Clay said that the programs are easily available to students.  They can also take their time with these programs and they have a better chance at engaging in conversations without being outshined by multiple students.

In addition, students form a much stronger relationship with their professors then they would if they were in a classroom. The faculty like online programs too because of the flexibility it offers them, the variety of ways they can improve the course(s) for students and they are astonished at the amount of interaction they have.

The online programs at West Georgia have proven to be a success and Clay said the goal of them is “to support the missions of the University of West Georgia and the University System of Georgia by making quality educational opportunities accessible.”

Comments

comments