Unlike the physical campuses, the new virtual campus will be made up of faculty and staff spread across the San Jacinto College District.
"We have 52 stellar faculty members leading the first courses for San Jac Online, and we’re proud to bring their expertise to the forefront," Director of Online Quality Georges Detiveaux said. "For the fall, they will fully transition from our physical campuses to focus on delivering the same high-quality learning experience online."
Phased rollout of courses
The online campus will be introduced in phases, with the first rollout including a selection of core courses.
"For Phase I, we’re focusing on traditional academic courses such as biology, communications, accounting and business," Detiveaux said. "Phase II will include the remaining academic courses and likely some workforce programs. That’s when we expect full degrees and certificates to be available through San Jac Online."
Registration for fall courses is now open and will remain available until Aug. 17, the day before classes begin.
A consistent online experience
One of the primary goals of the new virtual campus is to create a consistent and seamless experience for students. The pandemic highlighted the challenges of inconsistent online learning, where students were often faced with drastically different course formats.
San Jac Online aims to remove those inconsistencies through intentional online course design and delivery. The college is using best-practice rubrics modeled after organizations who have done research on the best practices in online teaching and design. These guidelines help ensure the courses provide a quality experience for learners.
“We have 13 courses this semester participating in a pilot, where they are paired with an instructional designer and key staff members here at San Jacinto College,” Detiveaux said. “These courses are being carefully designed to follow the rubric and ensure the rubric is effective and fulfilling its purpose. All sections of those courses will feature the elements of these design standards.”
Flexible learning
San Jac Online is designed to offer a flexible learning experience that meets the diverse needs of students.
“For people retraining for new careers, already holding jobs, and/or family responsibilities, it’s a lot easier to fit online courses into their schedules,” Detiveaux said. “San Jac Online will allow students to achieve their goals without being tied to a physical campus.”
In addition to its flexibility, San Jac Online provides a wealth of resources to support student success.
“Students are receiving a high-quality education through San Jac Online courses, with access to all the tools and resources they need to succeed," Detiveaux said. "We want them to feel they belong at San Jac, with the same support—such as online tutoring, library services and advising—that students on physical campuses receive, all included in their tuition."
To promote meaningful interaction, San Jac Online uses a variety of tools. The campus employs Blackboard as its learning management system, offering features such as course announcements, discussion boards and multimedia tools. San Jac Online faculty use a wide variety of technologies to engage their students in the learning process.
“Instructors can engage with students through traditional discussion prompts, but we’re also integrating more interactive options, such as embedded assessments and activities within course lecture videos,” Detiveaux said.
This enables students to interact directly with the learning materials, adding a more hands-on touch to the online environment.
Learn more
To apply for San Jac Online, visit the application page on the San Jacinto College website. To register for fall courses, visit the San Jac Online registration page.
To learn more about San Jac Online, visit www.sanjac.edu/online.
The above story was produced by Multi Platform Journalist Chloe Chapel with Community Impact's Storytelling team with information solely provided by the local business as part of their "sponsored content" purchase through our advertising team.
