CALGARY- Nearly 200 students attending DeVry Institute of Technology won’t be going back to class starting in July.
The school is closing its northeast campus and switching to 100 per cent online learning, citing declining enrollment. The number of students registered has gone from over 1,000 to just 400 in a decade.
Half of the current students take their courses online and the rest split their time between the classroom and computers.
The move has upset students, who say they paid a premium for the DeVry accelerated the specialized programs, and are afraid they won’t be able to get into another school on such short notice.
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“I have to do it online or I could transfer to SAIT or U of C, but it’s not worth it because I’ll lose so many of my credits,” complains Carl Grant, who has one year left of his engineering degree. “I’ve noticed the dwindling amount of students and saw it coming, I just hoped it wouldn’t.”
The school’s president says they’re looking into ways to make the change easier for students.
“We’ve already had the discussion with the ministry of enterprise and advanced education, and then we will be approaching the other post secondary institutions to allow possibly allow some transition,” says Ranil Haerath.
Alberta Advanced Education says it has reviewed the school’s plan and is satisfied it’s meeting student’s needs.
Any student who enrolled in DeVry after January 1, 2013 can get a full refund if they apply before February 15.
The transition also means 14 full time teachers and six administrators will lose their jobs.
With files from Tony Tighe
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