More students go online for classes: High gas prices, convenience fuel Internet boom - JEANNIE KEVER, Houston Chronicle

The traditional image of college students strolling across a shady campus is shifting, as more students take classes online. College administrators say $4 gas is only part of it. "What initially draws them is convenience," said Marshall Schott, assistant vice president for instructional support and outreach at the University of Houston. "They don't have to deal with parking. They don't have to deal with commuting, with high gas prices." Enrollment in online classes at UH is up 40 percent this summer, compared to last summer. Enrollment in hybrid classes — which offer reduced class time in exchange for some Internet instruction — is up 50 percent, Schott said.