Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne has decided to close its branch center in Warsaw by the end of this month after nearly 10 years of operation.

The IPFW Warsaw center, established in 2003, offered classes either through an instructor or by video conferencing from the main campus Fort Wayne.

The university officials said that technology advancements in distance learning now eliminate the need for students to travel to a particular location as IPFW can stream or broadcast current IVC Fort Wayne classes live or on-demand to mobile devices via the Internet.

"Students report online learning helps them stay enrolled, keep their scholarships, and graduate sooner. It removes barriers and helps students manage work and family obligations, even when they travel for internship and study-abroad programs. As a result, a physical center is no longer serving the study patterns of our students," executive director of the Division of Continuing Studies, Deb Conklin, said.

IPFW will be asking currently enrolled students at Warsaw Center to make necessary arrangements for their summer and fall classes either through online or webcast instructions for any Interactive Video Conferencing classes.

Plus, the university is ready to organize scheduled face-to-face classes with minimum enrolments at a location for interested students.

The university teaches 200 online courses presently, according to Conklin. Last year IPFW clocked up 49,323 credit hours through online courses.