Last month, an Independent Learning program change went into effect for students’ time to complete a course. If a student enrolled on or after April 10, they have six months to complete the course (with the ability to purchase two three-month extensions). For students who enrolled before April 10, they have twelve months to complete the course (with the ability to purchase two three-month extensions). Please note: the student’s home campus, school or employer may require a quicker timeline.

From IL Program Manager Liz Bush: “A review of the student data from 2012 to today revealed that the average IL student takes 6 months after starting to complete their course – with a recent trend towards even shorter time periods. The changes outlined above, along with adjustments to some of our fees and tuition refund schedule, are intended to better serve our students and position our program competitively and in alignment with UW System policies.”

If students have any questions about these changes, you can direct them to the IL website https://il.wisconsin.edu or the Student Services Team (il@uwex.edu).

LRMS will continue to keep track of students’ Expected Completion Date, so regardless of how much time a student has left to complete the course, Instructors can easily see that information. A good practice reminder: it can be helpful to check in with students as their Expected Completion Date approaches.