Jim Kieffer decided to take online classes through Yakima Valley Community College because of the flexibility it provides his schedule.

"I may be able to do some of it (school work) while at work, on my downtime," said Kieffer, an interim funeral director with a consortium of three area funeral homes.

Jan Lowell is taking a few online courses this fall, too. After working most of her life in the construction industry and recently returning to the Yakima Valley for family reasons, she also cites flexibility as a reason to take online courses. That, and one other reason.

"I'm lazy. I like to stay in my pajamas as long as possible," she said.

While the individual reasons vary, institutions of higher education locally and across the country are seeing a spike in the number of students taking online courses.

YVCC's latest enrollment report, released Sept. 2, shows the equivalent of 686 full-time students were enrolled in distance learning courses, which accounts for about 18 percent of the school's total fall enrollment. That's up by nearly 200 students, or 33 percent, over the same enrollment cycle last year.

"That's a huge increase," said Tomas Ybarra, the school's vice president for instruction and student services. "It is a possible sign that we are seeing more students opting for the distance learning courses as a way to get around some of the costs."

Among the factors possibly contributing to the upward trend is the economy. Because of layoffs and increased work responsibilities, more people need to learn additional skills. And online scheduling flexibility makes that balancing act more manageable. Additionally, the high cost of fuel can make commuting to and from campus a financial barrier.

"I think it is reasonable to assume (the enrollment increase) is associated with the cost of commuting to school and the hassle of finding parking," Ybarra said.

Online classes can help ease some of the challenges associated with attending college, but it's still a challenge to maintain the course work's quality.

"We want to keep the academic integrity as high as possible," said Tracy Pellett, associate vice president of undergraduate studies at Central Washington University.

At Central, the uptick in online enrollment has largely come as the university has increased its online offerings to meet student demand.

Part of the state's strategic plan for higher education includes increasing access and enhancing online enrollment. Last summer, Central offered 30 courses online. This summer, that number increased to 73 courses, with more than 1,400 students enrolled.

During the fall, when traditionally fewer courses are offered online, Central nearly doubled its offerings from 25 courses last year with 650 students enrolled to 40 courses this fall, which already have 750 students enrolled, Pellett said.

"Part of the reason we are doing that is to make it easier for students to pursue their education and make it more accessible to them without having to do as much driving," Pellett said.

Open registration runs Sept. 22-23 and classes begin at Central Sept. 24.

Often, online college courses are offered in a hybrid format with traditional classes. That is, a student's schedule may combine some online courses with on-the-ground courses, or a class can be mostly online with a few face-to-face meetings throughout the term.

But from the other side of the virtual classroom, it does take a bit more planning for instructors.

"There is a lot of work to online classes," said Kevin Palmateer, who teaches a mix of information technology and business courses at YVCC. "People want to see stuff planned out. Planning and how much time it takes is the main challenge."

Because of some additional costs associated with offering courses online -- computers, servers, staff and networking -- YVCC students pay an additional $40 per online course. That is still less than a tank of gas for most vehicles these days.

At Central, online courses cost the same as a traditional class.

The allure of online class work is trickling down from the ranks of higher education into public education. For the past few years, public school students in the state have had the option to attend classes through several online schools. The list of options has grown in recent years as more online schools have become available.

Still, despite the flexibility and other benefits of online courses, there are aspects of traditional classes that can't be duplicated.

"I don't know if I will ever go completely online," Palmateer said. "I enjoy seeing the faces."