Now the energy crunch is sending online enrollments up faster than pump prices.

Drexel University, one of the largest providers of online courses in the region, reports that registrations in April, May and June for fall online courses were nearly double what they were in the previous three months.

At Camden County College, summer and fall online enrollment has risen 17 percent from the previous year.

Bucks County Community College is experiencing even larger increases, with officials reporting spikes of more than 50 percent in online enrollment for the second summer period and more than 40 percent for the fall.

Villanova University, Delaware County Community College, Community College of Philadelphia, and Widener University all report sizable spikes as well.

"Rising gas prices have served as a wake-up call for many adult learners looking for a high-quality alternative," said Kenneth E. Hartman, academic director of Drexel University Online.

Drexel's program has mushroomed in the last five academic years from 100 to 5,700 students, constituting 21 percent of Drexel's enrollment.

Gas prices are just the latest factor raising enrollment in Drexel's program, which offers about 60 online degrees in business, teaching, nursing and other major areas, Hartman said.

Throughout the nation, online enrollment is showing similar growth, as more students become comfortable with the computer format and look for ways to economize on time as they juggle family, lives, jobs and school. Colleges are feeding the trend by expanding offerings and training faculty in how best to teach the courses.

Kimberly Banks, 36, who takes two Drexel online courses, in public relations and techniques of public speaking, from her home in Willow Grove, wanted to work at her own pace. She was not even thinking about gas prices.

Now she looks at savings in energy costs as a plus.

"It would be prohibitive for me to have to commute," Banks said.

William Wiebalck, 31, of Cherry Hill, estimates he is saving up to $750 per quarter in gas, parking and tolls by taking his Drexel graduate classes in information systems online and leaving his Honda Accord in the driveway.

The software developer noticed gas prices climbing in the fall, and that influenced his decision to go online, he said.

"The price of gas, I knew, was certainly not going to go down," Wiebalck said.

He typically gets home from work, eats, and then logs in to class for readings and postings, he said.

At Drexel, courses typically run 10 weeks, with a mix of reading, online discussion, collaborative writing, audio and video clips, and PowerPoint presentations. Live guest instructors sometimes present, and professors offer "live office hours" online.

At Pennsylvania State University, which offers more than 60 degree and certificate programs through its World Campus program, administrators are starting to hear from students that they want more online offerings to save on gas.

"We had never heard that in the past," said Apryl Buynak, an admissions counselor for World Campus. "In the past, we had heard they wanted to save time."

At Widener, online enrollment has grown steadily the last three years, with 923 students taking classes last school year. Students also increasingly are looking for more efficient ways to take courses when they travel to campus.

"There's definitely conversation in the hallways," said Emily Richardson, dean of Widener's University College, an undergraduate college for adults. "Students are very definitely trying to figure out, 'Can I take more than one class at a certain time so I don't have to come to campus more than one day a week?' "

In addition to expanding online courses, Bucks County Community College has expanded its online tutoring and advising, and in the last year has begun instructing faculty on how to teach online courses better in a class called Online 101.

The online push is "really changing the face of how we're doing things," said Annette Conn, provost and dean of academic affairs.

Drexel's Hartman said that he expected the growth to continue, and that colleges increasingly must adapt regardless of gas prices. Drexel's programs serve students both locally and in other states, with the bulk living within 200 miles.

"It's really been an incredible ride," he said.

No gas required.