Distance Learning has been at Sinclair Community College for 30 years. Students who were unable to travel to Sinclair’s main campus would take these classes that utilizing video learning.
Sinclair has come a long way since those days and now has SinclairOnline, a web based service, that has officially been around since 1995 but recently has been given new life.
“We really began expanding online in 2005,” said Dean of Distance Learning & Instructional Support Nancy Thibeault. “There’s just been an increase in student demand for online courses, not just at Sinclair, but nationally.”
This quarter SinclairOnline student enrollment is up 25 percent from 2008’s winter quarter and the enrollment had a 19 percent increase overall. This was a record for SinclairOnline.
Thibeault said she expects the percent of students to enroll in online classes to continually grow significantly.
“I expect it to continually grow at 20 percent per year,” said Thibeault.
Though she said she expects an increase in online enrollment thinks that SinclairOnline isn’t meant for everyone.
“I think that online is not for everybody because it requires a student to be very organized and self-motivated,” Thibeault said.
Online Professors
“Many of our instructors love teaching online [classes],” said Thibeault.
According to Thibeault, some instructors claim that they enjoy being able to teach online because it is easier to communicate with students one-on-one and the instuction able to be more in depth. Before being able to teach online courses instructors are required to take an Online Faculty Certification course.
New Courses for SinclairOnline
Students have the ability to recommend potential online courses because the addition of online courses is based on student demand said Thibeault. Students can recommend to instructors that the course should be available to take online.
Ultimately the Provost council makes the decision. Currently the proposed online programs include a Business Management Certificate, a Psychology Emphasis, and nine others.
“Sinclair is all about meeting student demand,” said Thibeault. “Students want it, Sinclair provides… in a quality way.”