As the 性爱五色天, Reno quickly widens its digital reach to students across the globe, its team is working closely with enthusiastic faculty members to create vibrant online instruction that captures and holds students’ interest.
By the start of this year’s fall semester, more than 100 new courses will be available online, said Carley Ries, vice provost of online learning.
More importantly, Ries said, the University will be offering eight undergraduate degrees, including fields such as criminal justice and general business, that can be earned entirely online. Eleven minors, as well as numerous certificate programs, also will be available fully online. Those undergraduate and certificate offerings join an existing array of graduate-level online courses.
Sagebrushers 鈥 S3 Ep. 14 鈥 Vice Provost of Online Learning Carley Ries
President Sandoval and Vice Provost of Carley Ries discuss new programs offered by Nevada Online, ways for faculty to bring their courses online, partnerships with industry and more on Sagebrushers Sagebrushers is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and other major podcast platforms, with new episodes every month.
Each of the new online courses typically represents a three-month effort by faculty members who work with Nevada Online’s team of 10 instructional designers and technologists. Each course retains the academic rigor of traditional classroom learning while incorporating dynamic elements ranging from animation to virtual reality.
Even before they begin creation of an online course, faculty members sharpen their digital acumen with six weeks of training. Faculty map their courses, learn how to meet distance education requirements, incorporate generative AI, and meet with Nevada Online’s multimedia team to strategize technical aspects of their course.
The University’s strong commitment to robust online offerings, Ries said, represents the newest iteration of its mission as a land grant institution that delivers high-quality, affordable educational opportunities. Online programs allow those opportunities to reach students across the globe whose family commitments, careers or financial restraints prevent them from on-campus learning.
“We want to meet them, and we want to meet them in their living rooms on their schedules,” Ries said. “We’re reaching out to entirely new audiences.”
Catherine Doubek, who recently completed a graduate-level course in public health through Nevada Online, said that while the program’s flexibility allowed her to balance two part-time jobs, her life and academic responsibilities, it also provided a surprising lesson.
“One unexpected benefit is the increased self-discipline and time-management skills I’ve developed,” she said. “Online courses require me to stay organized and proactive. I could squeeze in study sessions during breaks at work, take advantage of time during evenings and weekends, and even catch up on recorded lectures in the car or on the bus.”
For many Nevada Online students, online learning will be even more affordable because they won’t need to pay some of the fees — health insurance, for instance — that are required from on-campus students.
Ries said the value of the University’s online offerings is reflected in recent partnerships with employers such as Tesla and Amazon, which support employees as they build new skills. The University also has partnered with , a Denver-based company that manages educational assistance benefits for numerous major corporations.
The development of additional online offerings is driven by the demand for skills that employers need to support a growing economy.
“It’s really exciting that we’re changing the lives of people, changing their socio-economic status,” Ries said. “We’re shaping the future of Nevada.”
Doubek, for instance, said the use of digital platforms provided an additional level of learning and useful skills that go even beyond the content of the course itself.
“Through online group work and collaboration, I’ve gained lots of experience in navigating digital platforms and communicating complex ideas asynchronously,” she said.
While developing dozens of new online courses, Nevada Online also is focusing on digital marketing initiatives that will ensure that students anywhere in the world become aware of the high-quality, accredited educational opportunities offered by the University.
One of the messages: Nevada Online allows students to build the relationships with peers and professors that are such an important element of any campus experience.
“I was pleasantly surprised by the level of engagement and support I received from both instructors and classmates,” Doubek said. “Meaningful interactions and support created a positive and enriching learning environment.”
Thank you to the team at the University Libraries @One Center for producing and editing this episode of Sagebrushers.
University President Brian Sandoval: This is Sagebrushers, the podcast of the 性爱五色天. Welcome back, Wolf Pack Family. I'm your host, University President Brian Sandoval. Our University has recently launched Nevada Online, a digital initiative that allows students to obtain a 性爱五色天 education from anywhere in the world. Our online courses, taught by university faculty, are designed for adult learners who need flexible options.
So let's get started. Today's guest is Vice Provost for Online Learning Carley Ries. Carley began her role last year, bringing her more than 29 years of experience in higher education, including overseeing online programs at Oregon State University and University of Colorado, Colorado Springs. She has been working feverishly to ensure additional online opportunities are available to a variety of learners. Today's podcast is being recorded in the @One in the Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center. Vice Provost Ries, and may I call you Carley?
Vice Provost Carley Ries: Yes.
Sandoval: Oh, great. Welcome to Sagebrushers. I'm excited to share with our listeners more about expanding the Wolf Pack Family and the Wolf Pack impact in a virtual space.
Ries: Great. Well, thank you for having me.
Sandoval: Yeah. I'm very excited about this episode, so let's begin. Let's do what is Nevada Online 101? And what is its mission?
Ries: Awesome. So, Nevada Online is a newly created program for the 性爱五色天, where we are literally moving UNR into the 21st century when it comes to virtual learning. And within this department, we are offering services to faculty that will be able to place our courses online in the asynchronous modality.
Sandoval: And let me interrupt you there. So, a lot of people might not know what asynchronous is.
Ries: Absolutely. So, asynchronous being that you can take your courses and be educated on your time so you don't have to be online at a certain time. So, we are literally coming to individuals in their space, on their time frame, so that we're not mandating that they be logged in at a certain time at a certain location. We're coming to them.
Sandoval: And this may be a bad analogy, but it's like on Netflix, you can watch episodes whenever you like, basically, right?
Ries: Exactly. And then you do have due dates for your assignments and your discussions and building community with your fellow students and your instructor, but you're not mandated to be on a certain time. So whatever suits your schedule the best is when you will be watching your lectures and creating your content on your discussions, completing your assignments, that sort of thing.
Sandoval: Yeah. And I said in my introductory remarks that this is for adult learners, but it's more than that. If I'm a student at the University, if I want to take, you know, one course online and take the rest on campus, I can do that. But similarly, if I live remotely, not just in Nevada but anywhere in the world, essentially you can take our courses.
Ries: Absolutely. So, what we're offering is offering these online opportunities. We're enhancing the menu and variety of the modalities that our current learners can finish those courses. But more importantly, we're building new pathways. We're reaching those individuals throughout the state that are time and place-bound that want to be part of the Wolf Pack Family, that currently could not be because we did not offer fully online programs for them.
Sandoval: So, how do you support these students? They're not just like “Here, you're signed up on your own. Good luck to you.”
Ries: Oh gosh, no. So, the days of 1995, where I log into my class and I read a chapter of my textbook, and then I may watch a 50-minute to an hour-long lecture of my instructor. Those days are long gone. So now they're dynamic. So, when you log in to your class, it's statically pleasing. It's broken down into small, bite-sized pieces of learning. It might be an instructor having a lecture that's enhanced with animation that you watch for five minutes and then all of a sudden, bam, right in front of you here's some gamified questions for you. And so, you think you're playing a game, but you're really, going over your retention and you're retaining the information that was just presented to you.
Or you might be watching your instructor utilizing the light board that's also in the @One Center here. Or they might be doing something that is AR or VR. So, it's definitely not that dry - I'm going to watch a video, a little bit of a lecture, and then I have to do my assignment.
It's very engaging. Always discussions between you and your fellow classmates. Discussions between you and your instructor, as well as all of those key assessment pieces as well.
Sandoval: So, you know, and I'm a child of the 70s and 80s, and I'm used to learning and doing things in a traditional way. And there may be some faculty that have done things in a certain way for a long time. So, there may be a reluctance to adopt this format. What would you say to that?
Ries: Well, I would first say that change, even though it's fearful, it can be exciting once you've experienced it. And we're here for you. So, if you're a faculty member and you're worried about, oh my gosh, I don't know if I can do that in that technology space. That's what Nevada Online is for. Nevada Online, we have the designers, the technologists, the multimedia specialists, the production people.
So those are your peeps, your team. So what you need to do as a faculty member is you need to do what you already do that's amazing. And you have that content and that knowledge and you are saying, “I would like to offer this class online.” And then we as Nevada Online break you up into a small with a small design team and we explain it to you.
We can help you with this lecture. We can, we can advance or enhance your content that you're offering here. We're not changing any of your curriculum. We're just kind of bringing it up to the 21st century so that we can ensure that students stay engaged. Everybody has a very short attention span. So, we want to make sure that it's dynamic.
And we work with faculty from the beginning of the training of an online course all the way to the end to fruition. And we wed this design team to that faculty member to ease that, that fear of that change. And I'd like to say we have a lot of faculty that have already developed the courses that have been able to, they're in awe of what the, the end product or the course looks like when it's done.
Sandoval: No, that's fabulous. So, let's get into, you know, what degrees and programs are available right now and what's coming. But before we do that, if I'm listening to this podcast and I'm like, “Wow, I could finish my degree or I can, you know, start here. I'm, you know, I'm a working person or I don't have access.” Where do I go to find where the course lists are?
Ries: Absolutely. So nevadaonline.unr.edu is a great resource for students, faculty, prospective students, parents. If you go to that website, we have a class listing that shows all of the online courses that are offered. We also have a resources page where faculty can find how they can receive assistance from Nevada Online. And we also have all of the programs.
And when I say programs, I mean grad and undergrad degrees, certificates. Or if you just want to begin with, taking one course to feel comfortable being an online learner, that's that's available as well. And all of that information is on that website.
Sandoval: So, let's give a little sneak preview here. What what's available now?
Ries: So, we have a multitude of graduate level, degrees that are already currently offered. We have hundreds and hundreds of courses that are already offered online. We have a few undergrad degrees that are already offered. So we have the Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies, which is perfect for the returning learner. They just have to ensure that they have completed their silver core, which we have all online.
Ries: And then they choose two minors, and we have 11 fully online minors they can choose from. We also have the bachelor's in communications that's available now, as well as the bachelor's in sociology. So those are available, but we have much more that's coming this next year.
Sandoval: So if I'm, you know, I finished my high school, started working and thought, “You know what? I think I'm going to go back to college.” I can get my degree fully online.
Ries: Absolutely.
Sandoval: All right. So, what's coming?
Ries: So, I'm so excited because the undergrad audience is a is a major initiative that I'm passionate about. So, I realize that there are a litany of reasons why individuals may have attended college, and then they had to take a break for for whatever that reason may be. Maybe they moved out of state, maybe they work full time, maybe they have personal obligations, but they desperately wanted to either be a Wolf Pack or they wanted to still stay a part of The Wolf Pack Family.
So, what is coming? Starting in fall 2025, we have more undergraduate bachelor's degrees that are being placed online, as well as many certificates. So, an example of some of the bachelor's degrees: ee have a bachelor's in criminal justice that's coming online. We have the bachelor's in general business that's coming online. So, we're working on adding for spring of 2026 the bachelor's of social work.
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And we are also working on creating a couple of other degrees. Don't want to mention those right away just because they're not official, but they are definitely hot. So, hot sought-after degrees that will very much help our state’s needs.
Sandoval: And, you know, talk a little bit to current college students who maybe something's happened in their life, and you know, they or they want to take a, you know, a gap semester or something like that. But this is a great opportunity for them to I'll say it this way, stay in the game. Yeah.
Ries: Yeah. So, so regardless of the reason why you didn't start already or you're trying to return, it's a seamless process for you to be able to either reapply or apply for the first time and be an online learner. We have ample opportunities. There is no pressure for you to make a decision on what degree you want right out of the gate.
You can start with being even non-degree seeking and taking a couple of courses and then build up that confidence and and tell yourself, “I can do this.” And realize what an amazing experience it is. And then then we can start talking about what degree you would like. So, there is no pressure to start out of the gate for a degree.
But if you already know what degree you want and you're wanting to seek that online and that's in one of our offerings, then absolutely you can. We offer applications throughout the year. There's two and three times a year that you can apply. It's not like it's a once-a-year, there. It's just absolutely seamless. And I want to reiterate that online learning, the rigor and the content and the faculty are all the same individuals that are phenomenal in our face-to-face experiences. This is just merely a different modality.
Sandoval: And let's talk a little bit about cost. How does the cost differ from if you were taking a class on campus?
Ries: Absolutely. So if you were a fully online learner in an online program, your cost per credit would be the same as if you were attending here on campus. If you're a resident, however, it's even a little bit less if you're a fully online learner because since you won't be utilizing all of the services that are on campus, some of those fees are not charged to you if you're a fully online learner.
So, it's a completely, affordable education. Not not to mention we are extremely lower in tuition rates as far as our neighboring states coming from a, from a different state before I arrived here. We're extremely, affordable. Without that extra cost, but then you get that still amazing educational experience.
Sandoval: And if I do my four years, I can march right next to the other students who perhaps completed their education on campus on the quad. There's no difference.
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Ries: Absolutely, and we would hope that they do. So, as well as your transcripts. No differentiation on your transcripts when you go to your employer or you're going to add to your toolbox. No, the modality doesn't mean anything, because in this day and time, the rigor is just there. It's not seen as less than.
Sandoval: And you're working on some partnerships with private industry and even government. So, for example, you know, I tell this little story, I went into a Starbucks and the barista said, “Hello, Mr. Sandoval, how are you?” And I said, “Fine.” And she said, “I've been working here for a little while and I'm going to college.”
I'm like, “Oh, you're coming to the university?” And she said, “No, I'm going to Arizona State and taking my classes online.” But now we're going to have those types of relationships. So, talk about that.
Ries: We are. So, I'm so excited that you asked about that. So, we are, we being The Wolf Pack Family, have just signed a couple of contracts where we are partnering with the federal government. So, the federal government will be paying for the tuition of federal employees to take our courses or programs or degrees. But also we're in a new partnership with Guild [Education].
And what Guild is, is the middleman between us and other industries. So, for example, I might be working at Target and I didn't know college was able to be my new pathway because I don't have the funds. If I'm a Target employee and Target chooses the 性爱五色天 to be one of their partners, they'll work with Guild and they pay for that employees tuition.
And so then we've just expanded our Wolf Pack Family. Sorry, getting a little chills here, expanding our Wolf Pack Family beyond I mean, we are not limited. The barriers are off and we can just impact people's socioeconomic status. And we are changing lives, and we are changing our students’ families lives.
Sandoval: Yeah. And this is kind of a delicate subject, but we're behind right now. Correct? Compared to other land grant universities. And this is absolutely an effort, you know, to get into the 21st century.
Ries: Absolutely. We are behind, but we've got the engines running and we have taken off. And I am confident that within three to five years, we're going to look completely different than what we even look like now. And we already look different a year later than we did. So, I'm confident that the momentum is there and we are going to start really making an impact throughout our state.
Sandoval: Okay. And you mentioned the next five years. What's your vision? What would you know if you could predict the future? And you're going to have a lot to do with everything to do with that. What would you love to see five years from now? Ten years from now?
Ries: Five years - well, we're going to be amazing. That's the first part is. But within five years, I would like to see rather than us having eight undergraduate degrees, I would like us to see, okay, we've got 12 or 15 undergraduate degrees. We have another 10 or 15 certificates. We've add another five graduate degree programs. But most importantly, what I want to see, I want to see us partnering well with industry, making a solid economic impact within our state, and allowing to send the message to Nevadans that UNR is achievable not only financially because of the partnerships that we're building but because you can't get here.
You can be in Clark County and you can still be a Wolf Pack. You can maybe have attended the Collegiate Academy, and you didn't have it within your economic means to be able to move up to Reno, but you still, we're a Wolf Pack, and we connected with you early on, and we stayed with you through your entire degree that was online.
Sandoval: But you could be in Manhattan, Nevada, or Manhattan in New York City and take the courses. But regardless of how remote the location or how populous it is, this will be available to everyone.
Ries: But I would like to also add, it could even be somebody that is four blocks away, but because of their requirements, they might be in a sandwich family. They might have to work two jobs. We can reach them now because we are coming to them on their time. If your time or place-bound, doesn't matter; we are coming to you. We're coming our house to your house.
Sandoval: So we're almost out of time, Carley, and I neglected to mention in my introduction that you are an alumni of the university. And so, since you've returned, what's your favorite part of Reno?
Ries:Well, coming from Oregon prior to this. Well, first off, I would say I love the sun. I love the sun here, but what I will say is, it's nice to be back where I was born and raised.
Sandoval: Well, wonderful. Well, thank you very much for being here. Unfortunately, that is all the time we have for this episode of Sagebrushers. Thank you again for joining us again, Carley. I really appreciate it. And join us next time for another episode of Sagebrushers. As we continue to tell the stories that make our university special and unique. Until then, I'm University President Brian Sandoval, and go Pack!
