UF Distance Learning

[Exfactor]

Some 3,100 students accepted as freshman by the University of Florida for the fall got a big surprise along with their congratulations notices: They were told that the acceptance was contingent on their agreement to spend their first year taking classes online as part of a new program designed to attract more freshmen to the flagship public university.

The 3,118 applicants accepted this way to the university — above and beyond the approximately 12,000 students offered traditional freshman slots — did not apply to the online program. Nor were they told that there was a chance that they would be accepted with the online caveat. They wound up as part of an admissions experiment.

The new program, begun in 2015, is called the Pathway to Campus Enrollment, or PaCE, and according to Steve Orlando, senior director of the university’s media relations, it “allows us to offer admission to additional qualified applicants with academic potential and demonstrated success.”

“The market for freshman is by no means clear anywhere in the country,” UF Provost Joe Glover said in an interview. “We are trying different things to identify that market. That is one of the motivations.”

It also allows the school the chance to expand enrollment in its new online undergraduate program, which was created by the state legislature in 2013 with $15 million for start-up and initial operational costs, and which began serving students in 2014. State legislators are eager to expand online learning at state universities as well as in the K-12 sphere. The Florida Virtual School opened with state funding in 1997 as the first online public high school in the country, and in 2000, it was declared an independent educational entity by the state legislature.

University of Florida admits 3,000 students — then tells them it is only for online program - The Washington Post

Very interesting, it will be unique to see if many other schools follow this format. So much for online learning being such a taboo...