APU logistics program mirrors online trend

APU logistics program mirrors online trend    The number of students taking online college courses increased by almost 1 million last year to 5.6 million, the largest annual jump in the eighth Sloan Survey of Online Learning released this week.
   For the past seven years online enrollments have been growing substantially faster than overall higher education enrollments, according to the survey. The 21 percent increase in enrollments in 2009 compares to a 2 percent increase in overall student population.
   Among those experiencing strong growth rates is the American Public University System, a for-profit school that offers distance learning in a completely online format so that students can fulfill classroom requirements around their schedules.
   Earlier this year, Wal-Mart Stores set up an arrangement with APU for its employees to earn a degree at a more affordable price than traditional college through a combination of online coursework and college credit for on-the-job learning and experience.
   Wal-Mart and Sam's Club associates can earn degrees in management, transportation and logistics management, and security. APU said it plans to offer new concentrations in retail management and other related disciplines.
   APU, which offers a bachelors and master degree in transportation and logistics management, has seen overall enrollment more than double during the past three years to 77,000 in the third quarter. Two-thirds of the students are enrolled through American Military University, which caters to active duty military personnel but offers the identical curriculum as APU for the civilian sector.
   The transportation and logistics program is experiencing comparable growth, but the school doesn't break out the actual numbers by program, spokesman Brian Muys said.
   APU is different than full-blown supply chain management programs at traditional universities because it focuses on the operational aspects of transportation and logistics, said Irvin Varkonyi, the program's marketing manager and an adjunct professor.
   The faculty also sets the school apart because it is comprised of active practitioners in the field, or retired executives who now teach part-time instead of faculty that focus on an academic career, he said.
   The school uses an asynchronous learning model that allows people in busy professions or different time zones to complete coursework and participate in discussion boards on their own schedules.
   Varkonyi, who has a background in the air cargo industry at Emery Worldwide and other companies, said shippers and carriers are increasingly changing their understanding of human capital training and viewing the online world as a facilitator, with companies providing varying degrees of tuition assistance.
   Last week, Varkonyi gave a presentation about online learning at the Transcomp Exhibition and Intermodal Expo held in Fort Lauderdale by the National Industrial Transportation League, Intermodal Association of North America and the Transportation Intermediaries Association.
   The online survey of 2,500 colleges was conducted by the Babson Survey Research Group with support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. ' Eric Kulisch