The overview
The new program will take on a “phased approach” instead of a one-time launch plan. The decision to make this a phased approach stemmed from a work group made up of instructional leaders, faculty, staff and administrators, the news release notes.
While the full timeline of the phased approach was not relayed yet, the online campus will offer 60 certificates and degrees fully online for some of the following programs:
- Arts, humanities, communications and design
- Business
- Construction, industry, manufacturing and transportation
- Education
- Health sciences
- Public safety and human or consumer services
- Science, technology, engineering and math
- Social and behavioral sciences
Diving in deeper
The online campus aims to improve student experience and address common challenges online students face, such as students being unsure which campus their courses are offered through and who to contact for assistance, the news release notes.
For example, Tidwell noted an incident in which a student didn’t realize they signed up for an eight-week course, and once they realized, they tried to get assistance at the campus they were familiar with, but they were told to contact another campus. When they called that campus, they were left to voicemail, but they were eventually routed to San Jacinto Online.
“By then, a lot of time and energy had been wasted,” Tidwell said in the news release. “Going to San Jacinto Online first would have resulted in a more seamless experience.”
Once the online program has completed all phases it will be the single point of contact for students and college staff, the news release notes.
Quote of note
"Our goal in launching San Jacinto Online is to ensure the college strategically and operationally supports our faculty and staff who are working daily to meet the needs of students choosing online learning to achieve their goals," Tidwell said in the news release.
