Student Yen Tran doesn’t really like online courses. There is no human element, she said.

“The computer is very specific with everything, I didn’t like it,” Tran said. “I even put that in my survey.”

Tran, who is in her second semester at Sacramento State knows that this school has added more online classes to alleviate the problem that most students inevitably face sometime in their college career: adding classes they want.

“My first semester I had a hard time adding classes,” Tran said. As for this semester, it was a breeze, she said. She said it could be attributed to her knowledge of the general education structure and advising.

But factors of the rich availability of classes include online classes, semester analyses of high demand classes and classes students need said Ric Brown, vice president of academic affairs.

“We certainly do everything we can to make certain that there are enough sections of especially needed classes to accommodate students who we invite here,” Brown said.

More advising and a decrease in student enrollment were also factors that contributed to more availability of classes, Brown said.

“We have a schedule that should probably accommodate 500 more students that are actually here (this semester),” Brown said.

Brown said the university has done as much as it can by boosting online classes, along with classes that could benefit from using technology, to help alleviate the demand of classes.

This allows students to work from home, when needed, or at odd hours; it is a way to make classes more compatible with students’ busy schedule, Brown said.

About one third of Sac State faculty has been given training for such technology, Brown said.

Diana Tumminia, an instructor in the sociology department uses Web CT to supplement her classes by posting examples, handouts, lectures and getting e-mail from students, she said in an e-mail.

As far as online-only classes, Tumminia said they limit spontaneity in class, and that class might go into autopilot.

“It is no substitute for teacher(s) who engage (with) students face-to-face,” Tumminia said.

Tumminia added that she prefers lecture-style teaching, but that Web CT has given her the chance to know her students are taken cared of.

Darlene Sibha, junior, usually has no problem adding classes, but this semester was a little different because the classes she was adding were for her major, pre-nursing, some of which had limited availability.

Sibha said she has taken online classes before, and found them less challenging. She prefers having a teacher and added that online classes are fine if there are a lot of people that can help when she has questions.

Gamaliel Ortiz can be reached at [email protected]