Distance Learning
Chattahoochee Technical College offers a growing number of distance-learning courses. These courses are labeled “online” in the posted schedule of courses. In addition to these, many other courses have a significant online component regardless of the time or duration of their face-to-face meetings. The majority of CTC’s online courses utilize the Blackboard Learn Learning Management System. The following link provides direct access to CTC’s Blackboard Learning portal.
Taking online classes can be a great learning experience; however, success requires technical and computer skills not required in face-to-face classes. Success also requires students to have access to a computer with reliable Internet service. Using the college’s website and online access to other services, online students have access to the same services provided to on-campus students. Additionally, online students may use any physical resources available to all current students on any CTC campus.
CTC takes steps to guarantee those enrolled in online courses complete their own work and that the students registered are the ones completing this work (see Distance Learning Student Privacy Procedure). All online courses require secure login to gain entry to the courses. Students are encouraged to never share online user IDs or login passwords with anyone. CTC instructors may also use additional technologies to verify the identity and/or work of online students. All online courses at CTC require students to attend at least one proctored event in the presence of the instructor in a traditional classroom or in a monitored, restricted online environment. Proctored sites are often posted with the schedule of classes, and online students are notified of these events the week classes begin. Students who cannot attend scheduled proctored events, or who require additional technology, are responsible for making alternative arrangements, and those must be approved by the instructor before the proctored events.
Distance Learning Class Types
Web-Enhanced: These courses are taught in a traditional classroom. While the bulk of classroom instruction takes place in the classroom, the college LMS (Learning Management System) or other online platform approved by the division of study may be used to supplement this classroom instruction. At the instructor’s discretion, some class meetings, instructional material, course information, course announcements, class discussions, research, and submission of assignments and assessments may take place online.
Hybrid: These courses are taught partly online using the college LMS (Learning Management System) or another online platform approved by the division of study and partly in a traditional classroom or lab. Hybrid courses differ from web-enhanced courses in that web-enhanced courses are assigned to a classroom for every contact hour described in the course catalog, whereas hybrid courses are assigned to a classroom for only part of those hours with the balance of those hours assigned to an online environment.
Hybrid courses fall into one of two categories:
• K1: hybrid courses that are taught 50% or more online.
• K2: hybrid courses that are taught less than 50% online.
All hybrids are taught in both an online and a traditional-classroom environment. Which aspects are presented and submitted in which environment depends on the instructor’s preferences.
Online: These courses are taught in an online environment using the college LMS (Learning Management System) or another online platform approved by the division of study. The bulk of teaching materials, assignments, and assessments are presented online and the bulk of assignments and tests are submitted online. Most online courses, however, require at least one proctored event, which students must complete in the presence of the instructor in a traditional classroom or in a monitored, restricted online environment. How the proctored event is presented and submitted is decided by the instructor.