Austin Peay ranked No. 1 for online programs in Tennessee by Forbes
By: Brian Dunn September 6, 2024
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Austin Peay State University (APSU) has been named the top school for online programming in Tennessee by Forbes, marking a significant milestone in the institution’s long-standing commitment to distance education.
The ranking, published Aug. 28, evaluated 24 accredited online schools in Tennessee based on criteria including affordability and student outcomes. Austin Peay emerged as the leader, showcasing its dedication to quality education in flexible formats.
Dr. Anna Carrie Webb, Austin Peay’s executive director of Distance Education, expressed her excitement about the recognition.
“When Austin Peay shared it on Facebook, I saw it and immediately tagged the Distance Education Facebook account,” Webb said. “I was so excited! It made my day.”
The Forbes article highlighted Austin Peay’s more than 30 online degrees, designed for flexibility through coursework that can be completed on students’ own time without the need to attend live classes. Webb clarified that the number is even higher with graduate certificates, totaling over 50 online programs.
“Every single term has online courses,” Webb said. “We even have a fully online winter term offered over winter break. You can be an online student practically 365 days a year at Austin Peay if you want to be.”
This flexibility caters to a diverse student body, including military personnel, working professionals and nontraditional students. About 30% of Austin Peay’s students are military-affiliated.
Webb said about 60% of Austin Peay students take at least one online course. For Fall 2023, about 26% were fully online students, with roughly one-third being graduate students.
A legacy of online innovation
The university’s commitment to online education isn’t new. A 2000 article in The Leaf-Chronicle reported Austin Peay’s early distance learning efforts. At that time, the university was part of the Project DIANE consortium and used AP-TALK and GOVNET to connect with students across multiple counties.
Today, Austin Peay’s online programs use a robust learning management system and various technologies to facilitate engagement between students and faculty, including video and audio annotation tools, multimedia discussion boards, and large-scale video storage and streaming services.
“We support a large portfolio of instructional technology tools to meet various instructional needs such as online interactions, creating engaging content, and supporting academic integrity,” Webb said. “This saves faculty and departments an immense amount of time and money on contracting, implementing, creating resources, and supporting users.”
The university recently added Grammarly for Education, a writing assistance tool that helps with grammar, spelling, punctuation, and style, to its tools to support student writing. All students and employees have free access to a premium Grammarly Education license.
The university provides online students with access to various support services.
“Austin Peay provides online advising, [and] the Writing Center offers virtual appointments and a way to submit essays online for feedback,” Webb said. “The library has the laptop loan program created during COVID, and they will mail laptops to online students if needed.”
Austin Peay’s success in online education is supported by a dedicated distance education team.
“We are a team of 10, and we are mighty,” Webb said. “The institution's success in offering these online programs is greatly enhanced by the reliable instructional technology infrastructure and outstanding support provided by Distance Education.”
This infrastructure includes needs assessment, procurement, and vendor relationship building. The instructional design team works closely with faculty to improve online courses, from fine-tuning objectives to ensuring student accessibility.
Webb highlighted the crucial role of faculty in Austin Peay’s online success.
“The faculty are deeply committed to their students and courses, and they’re passionate about teaching,” she said. “We have dedicated faculty who want to ensure their online courses are engaging and well-structured.”
Quality assurance and future directions
Quality assurance is a key focus for Austin Peay’s online programs.
“Online distance education courses fall under SACSCOC (Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges), our regional accreditor,” Webb said. “The standards are the same across modalities.”
This ensures online courses maintain the same high standards as traditional classrooms. Additionally, Distance Education has online course review programs where faculty members share best practices and collaborate to improve online course offerings.
Austin Peay continues to innovate in distance education by exploring new technologies and enhanced feedback systems to improve the online learning experience. The university recently implemented a generative AI model integrated into its learning management system, allowing faculty to create practice questions based on instructional content.
“It makes it easier to integrate self-knowledge checks for students to determine if they understand the course content,” Webb said. “This gives them the information they need to either move forward or go back and review content.”
The Forbes ranking and Austin Peay’s innovation in online education reflect the university’s commitment to meeting the evolving needs of students in the digital age.
“The beauty of online education is that you can be anywhere and work on your coursework when it fits your schedule,” Webb said. “It provides opportunities for people who couldn’t otherwise attend school.”
