The number of online courses offered by Long Beach State this semester decreased by over 30% compared to fall 2021, while enrollment and the total number of classes offered at the university increased this semester.
Before the start of the pandemic, less than 10% of total classes offered by CSULB were online, according to Jody Cormack, vice provost for academic programs. However, when students and faculty returned to campus in fall 2021, approximately 50% of the courses were offered online.
This fall, approximately 18% of the courses will be offered online or in a hybrid format as the university pushes to encourage more in-person instruction.
The number of classes offered this semester had increased since the spring semester when there were only 8,700 courses offered. As of Aug. 16, there are over 9,100 courses offered at CSULB.
As of Aug. 16, nearly 2,000 more students have enrolled for the fall semester since last spring, with a current number of 38,200 students, according to Gene Wohlgezogen from the CSULB Office of Public Records. This is the cumulative amount of all students taking online and in-person instruction.
Wohlgezogen could not confirm whether the student population on campus has significantly increased since spring. Still, it should not have a significant impact on available parking spaces.
When Long Beach State officials anticipated a dramatic increase in the student population on campus last semester, the Parking and Transportation Services Department added an overflow parking lot.
However, parking lots on campus never reached 100% capacity during the spring semester, according to Chad Keller, the transportation department’s public affairs and communications specialist.
On campus, parking is not expected to overflow this semester. However, Keller advises students to arrive on campus earlier to find spots closer to their classes. The overflow parking lot is still offered this fall at the discounted price of $125 per semester.