Imagine enjoying the personal attention and academic rigor of one of Wake Forest’s 300-level classes while studying abroad in Australia or caring for a loved one at home.

Today, this flexibility is one step closer to becoming a reality.

On Nov. 15, Wake Forest, as part of a consortium of top-tier colleges and universities, announced plans to introduce a new, innovative program that transforms the model of online education. Semester Online will be the first program of its kind to offer undergraduate students the opportunity to take rigorous, online courses for credit from 10 of the country’s top schools.

In addition to Wake Forest, the consortium currently includes Brandeis University, Duke University, Emory University, Northwestern University, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of Notre Dame, University of Rochester, Vanderbilt University and Washington University in St. Louis. The consortium is partnering with 2U, formerly known as 2tor, the leader in creating online academic experiences for top universities.

As part of the consortium, Wake Forest has committed to evaluating online tools and practices that can enhance the educational experience. Exploratory conversations with Wake Forest faculty, staff and students, as well as other consortium schools, will ultimately determine the courses Wake Forest might offer through Semester Online.

“Online learning is an area of interest and focus, and Wake Forest is honored to be among such an esteemed group of colleges and universities exploring new frontiers in higher education,” said Provost Rogan Kersh. “For years, we have engaged in an ongoing campus-wide dialogue about how Wake Forest wants to use online education to effectively enhance our deeply personal educational experience. These important conversations with faculty will continue as we determine our path forward.”

Paige Emerson (’13), a senior communication major from Wellesley, Mass., believes a program like Semester Online could enhance the Wake Forest educational experience by providing greater convenience to students who are not physically on campus – particularly those studying abroad on affiliate programs.

“It would present a great opportunity for students who want to take a class that’s only offered every other semester, such as sports communication. Being able to take a class like that in your major or minor without worrying if credits will transfer from another school would be great,” said Emerson, who studied abroad in Rome last year.

“But, the most important thing in any online program offered by Wake Forest would be allowing for personal interaction because that’s why people come here and love this place,” she added.

In fact, initial Semester Online courses will feature the same faculty and curricula as their brick-and-mortar counterparts, and they are delivered live on an interactive, online platform. Through a state-of-the-art virtual classroom, students would collaborate with peers and be guided by Wake Forest faculty, as well as professors from other schools — just as they would if they were attending classes on campus.

Semester Online is not meant as a substitute for on-campus classroom education. Instead, the program will allow students to continue taking classes towards a degree while working, traveling or managing personal commitments that, in the past, might have meant putting their studies on hold. Additionally, Semester Online will enable students to take advantage of and receive course credit for unique course offerings from other prestigious institutions, some of which they would not have had access to otherwise.

“We embrace the face-to-face, residential college model as foundational to a Wake Forest education. At the heart of our liberal arts commitment is helping our students develop the abilities to write effectively, discuss rationally, create original work, solve problems imaginatively, and learn independently — in short, to live a fulfilling, reflective life,” said Jacquelyn Fetrow, Reynolds Professor of Computational Biophysics and Dean of Wake Forest College.

“Technology can be a valuable supplement to this commitment; it is vital that we continue exploring how best to use its fruits as a tool in delivering a Wake Forest-style education,” she added.

Though many details remain to be determined, Semester Online is expected to be available to academically qualified students attending consortium schools and other top institutions across the country as soon as the fall of 2013.

When a CH-47 Chinook helicopter was shot down in Iraq, U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer Lionel Finley was sent to recover aircraft parts and the remains of the 20 service members killed in the incident.  Years later, as a veteran, Finley’s personal struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder and the help he received from counselors inspired him to pursue a career in counseling.

“I went through PTSD and depression and was helped by counseling,” said Finley, who retired after 20 years in the military. “I hope to use my experience to help other veterans.”

The path toward his dream: the new online master of arts degree in counseling Wake Forest University launched this fall.

He chose Wake Forest University’s online program because he needs the flexibility to balance school, work and family.  He came into the program with a clear goal, but a few weeks into his first class, he is thinking about other ways a counseling degree can be used to help people.  He is excited about the possibility of working with African-American adolescents, particularly those growing up without fathers.  “Once you learn more about the program, you get a broader view.”

Finley, who lives in Raleigh, is one of 20 in the first group of students.

Donna Henderson, professor of counseling

“We want a better world, and we need more counselors to make that happen,” said Donna Henderson, the professor of counseling at Wake Forest who oversees the new online degree program.

Through its long-established, on-campus program, Wake Forest has the capacity to graduate 15 accredited counselors each year. The University turns away 10 times that many applicants.  Adding an online program increases the number of well-trained counselors prepared to address critical mental health needs.

“With the online degree option, we can more than double the number of people in the program and teach people who cannot come to campus because of jobs or other circumstances.”

The on-campus and the online curriculums are identical and the acceptance criteria for both programs are exactly the same.  Both are accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) and Council on Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). The major difference is the campus program is designed for full-time students only and can be completed in two years, while the online program accepts students to begin courses three times a year with semesters beginning in the fall, spring and summer. The small classes that are Wake Forest’s hallmark are mirrored in the online program, so the groups will be divided into sections of 10 to 15 for their coursework.

Another counseling student who started this fall is Renee Donovan, a stay-at-home mom in Virginia with two pre-school children, who also needs the program’s flexibility.  Donavan applied to the program after several years teaching first, fourth and sixth graders, because she wants to become an elementary school counselor.

“Whether bullying or other issues, I always liked helping kids with those issues,” she said.

She is mastering tools like Voice Thread, used to facilitate discussions with voice and video recordings, and WebEx to connect virtually with her professors each week.

“We are reaching adult learners in ways we haven’t before.  We are reaching out geographically in ways we haven’t before,” Henderson said.  Students have enrolled from as far away as Colorado.  She expects the reach of the program to grow as more applicants become familiar with it.

Even though she lives in Winston-Salem, Carol Ebron applied to the online counseling program instead of the on-campus program because she loves her job and wants a counseling degree to do it better.

Ebron provides support services for families in the home-ownership program at Habitat for Humanity of Forsyth County.

“Sometimes the homeowners call and they just need to talk,” Ebron said. “I want to become a professional counselor and would like to extend the support program to offer counseling services that might be needed.”  She has the enthusiastic support of her employer.

“We have an international reputation for the quality of our counseling program,” Henderson said.  “We know we can prepare counselors well, and we are excited to have the means to extend the reach of the program to meet the needs of communities and students.”

Wake Forest’s counseling department also offers an online master of arts in human services degree with much of the same coursework as the counseling degree, but focused more on preparing students for administrative roles in the counseling field.