CANYONS EXPANDS ITS CYBE LINEUP MORE ONLINE CLASSES OFFERED.

Byline: ALEX DOBUZINSKIS Staff Writer

VALENCIA -- College of the Canyons officials had some misgivings before offering two online classes this semester: British Literature and American Literature.

It wasn't the class material -- it was how the material would be delivered. Instructors wondered how many students would take the advanced classes over the Internet, since many of the college's previous online offerings were the more in-demand introductory classes.

``Everyone needs English 101,'' said James Glapa-Grossklag, dean of distance learning programs and training.

Students have more options as they advance in their studies, so instructors thought students might shy away from the online versions of British Literature and American Literature. But they didn't -- the classes are packed, Glapa-Grossklag said.

Offering the two classes is part of an initiative by the college not only to expand its menu of online classes but also to make it easier for students to complete their entire associate's degree online.

``Those are the higher-level courses we're offering for the first time in that department, and we're very excited to see there's a population for those classes,'' Glapa-Grossklag said.

Students can get online degrees in ``transfer studies'' through the college, meaning they can complete all the general education course requirements they need to transfer to universities entirely through online courses.

The college plans to add more online degrees in the coming year. In the spring, it will start offering online degrees in international business.

Some 1,700 students took online courses this past spring, and college officials expect more students online this fall.

Three-quarters of online students are from the Santa Clarita area, since the college is barred from marketing outside the area. Students might be taking online classes to save on gas money, to juggle family and work obligations -- or just because they like the online format better.

``We want to open the doors as much as possible, whether you're a firefighter, a flight attendant, you have four kids at home, you have some sort of disability,'' Glapa-Grossklag said. ``The college wants to create a way for you to access education.''

What began in 1999 as a program with two courses has grown to a program with 150 courses this semester. The budget has also expanded, and the annual budget for the college's online division is $150,000.

Students taking online courses interact with fellow students and the instructor via online messaging. Instructors can post lecture notes, required reading and assignments -- but they can also post video clips or Power Point notes.

Art History students get CD-Roms with their textbooks that they can pop into their computers to see great works of art. Fire Technology students see photos of different kinds of technology.

Deanna Riveira, professor of psychology at the college, said that there's a difference teaching online classes compared to traditional classes.

``I feel like I'm a little bit more of a research director, I guess, directing students to a lot of information,'' she said. ``Which in a way is nice because students are able to get more information about an area of interest for them.''

Even though he's in the age range of students who educators expect would relate well to a computer, College of the Canyons student Christian Pineda, 21, has not taken an online course.

``There's no emotion like in a computer,'' he said. ``You can't really, like in a situation where it explains something you can't understand it so clearly.''

But Bailey Campbell, 17, who is taking one class at College of the Canyons this semester, said she liked a previous online class she took -- even though she found herself more likely to procrastinate.

``I think it was different in a good way because I was able to kind of read at my own pace,'' she said.

The college's online division is a way to keep up with students, Glapa-Grossklag said, since many younger students don't see computers as high-tech gizmos.

``Kids look at a computer and they see a toaster,'' he said. ``It's not technology at all. It's a perfectly normal part of their lives.''

alex.dobuzinskis(at)dailynews.com

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