CLARKSVILLE, TN − 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.
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 in 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.”
