Substantive Change Proposal - Saddleback College

they would consider getting an online degree if available (see Fall 2009 Online Student
Satisfaction Survey at https://www.saddleback.edu/asenate/DistanceEducation.html).
Online education certificates and degrees not only provide greater access for
community college students, but, when done correctly, also provide an education which
is the equivalent of one earned through traditional, face‐to‐face, courses. Saddleback
College has dedicated itself to the development of a distance and online education
program that is exceptional, not only in the breadth and quantity of courses offered but
also in the quality of instruction and services.
The quality of our online program is evident in the data. The retention rates in online
classes are very close to the retention rates in face‐to‐face classes, as shown in the chart
below. In fall 2008, the retention rate in online classes was 88.84% while the retention
rate in face‐to‐face classes was 90.74%, a difference of less than 2%.
Retention by Instruction Method
100.00%
90.00%
80.00%
70.00%
60.00%
50.00%
40.00%
30.00%
20.00%
10.00%
0.00%
Fall 2004 Fall 2005 Fall 2006 Fall 2007 Fall 2008
Classroom 88.00% 89.28% 89.75% 89.51% 90.74%
Internet 86.59% 86.05% 85.49% 85.63% 88.84%
TV/Radio 79.96% 83.13% 84.56% 77.19% 79.35%
Source: Institutional Effectiveness Annual Report, 2008‐2009
(http://www.socccd.org/technologyandlearning/tl_irp_reports.html)
Success rates in online classes, on the other hand, far surpass success rates in face‐toface
classes, as shown in the chart below. Success rates pertain to the number of
Saddleback College | Substantive Change Proposal: Distance and Online Education 8