LTCC Tapped to Join CA Community Colleges Online Education Initiative

Lake Tahoe Community College has been chosen by the California Community Colleges’ Online Education Initiative (OEI) as one of eight colleges that will participate in the OEI’s full pilot launch, slated to take place from Fall 2014 through Spring 2016. LTCC was selected based on a number of criteria, including its accreditation standing, its well-established online degree programs, and its well-established professional development program to assist faculty with online education-oriented services and course design.

California's community colleges have offered online courses for more than 20 years. In the 2013/14 academic year, more than 41,000 online sections were held to accommodate 620,000 students statewide. Yet over the years, there has been little coordination between the state's 72 community college districts in terms of technology platforms or student and faculty support. Retention rates in online courses remain low, as they do nationwide. The hope is that bringing extra technology resources and centralization to California's community college system will improve online student success rates.

Joining the online initiative to help with this gives LTCC the opportunity to help define the future of quality online education in California’s Community College system. The pilot colleges involved in the OEI will launch and implement a sophisticated online education system that will increase student access to online courses throughout California.

The OEI also just announced the selection of a number of high-demand Associate Degree for Transfer online courses that will be included in the initial phases of the pilot program. They include introductory courses in Anthropology, Criminal Justice, Communications, Micro and Macroeconomics, Human Geography, Psychology, and others. Due to their popularity, these courses are first in line to be studied starting in Spring 2015 through Fall 2015. The OEI will also look at developing a common course management system (CMS). Right now, there are anywhere between seven and 10 different management systems being used in the community college system. The OEI intends to result in the creation of a new CMS meant to be used by all colleges in the system.

Joining LTCC in the OEI’s launch are Mt. San Jacinto College, Butte College, Coastline Community College, Foothill College, Shasta College, Fresno City College, and Ventura College. For more information about California’s Online Education Initiative, visit their website at http://ccconlineed.org/.