Currently, the 10-campus university grants credit for online courses taken only through its own online college prep program; through Cyber High, an online school run through the Fresno Unified School District; or -- the most common route -- if a principal at an accredited school will accept an online course and include it on a student's transcript.
The only courses students cannot take wholly online are science classes such as biology and chemistry, which require hands-on lab experience, although Wilbur said she expected this to be an issue that UC faculty would discuss.
"The most important message I would like to convey is that the faculty recognizes that we are in a changing education environment and are certainly open to considering alternatives, but we have not seen anything yet that meets the [lab sciences] requirements," she said.
Another concern is cheating. Online educators concede that a sibling, friend or parent could complete an online student's classwork, but, they say, the same people could also complete a traditional student's homework. Online schools have various strategies to discourage cheating. Florida Virtual, for example, requires that students complete tests on the phone with their instructor.
For students taking classes unavailable in their own schools, online education has proven results. According to the council for online learning, Advanced Placement test pass rates for students who take the preparatory courses online are 10% higher than the national average.
Other educators and psychologists worry about the loss of social interaction among students who are taking online coursework exclusively to avoid the stress of attending a traditional high school.
"When I see a kid walk into my classroom, I know if there's a problem," said Alan Warhaftig, an English teacher at the Fairfax Magnet Center for Visual Arts in Los Angeles who wrote "Web-Based Learning: But the Prom Will Not Be Webcast" in the trade newspaper Education Week. "Kids need to learn how to interact with each other and adults. If they are in splendid isolation, they are missing socialization experiences at school ... how to discuss, how to listen, how to read people's visual cues."
Hathaway concedes that he has lost out on some interaction and high school traditions, such as the dances, since he started taking online classes full time. But he doesn't miss the pressure to conform and to be part of the in-crowd. His father, Lt. Col. Kevin Hathaway, said the online courses are more rigorous than the local school system, and have helped his son develop responsible work habits.
"I get a better education, and I just didn't want to go through the pressures of high school," Ben Hathaway said. "You do lose a lot of contact with other friends, but you get to meet new ones along the way. I get to meet new people from all over the place."
