Moves Magazine - Louisiana Community and Technical College ...

Collaborate to Create Nation’sFor students now and in thefuture, distance learningis no longer a sidelineexperiment, it’s a way of life ineducation, and the LouisianaCommunity and TechnicalCollege System has takenthe lead. LCTCS has madea significant commitmentto create a rich network ofonline curricula, includingworking to develop the nation’sfirst online Practical Nursing pilot program that willsoon be ready to launch.Corporate partner AT&T has donated close to$50,000 of in-kind technical support and equipmentto help LCTCS develop not only the coursework forthe new online nursing program, but a whole newmodel of interaction between instructors and students.“The reason we’re moving in this direction is thatstudents are voting with their fingers,” says LCTCSExecutive Vice President Dr. Monty Sullivan.“Enrollment in distance learning has jumped from2 percent to 17 percent. It’s about mobility. We feellike we need to reach students where they are, andthey’re mostly on their mobile devices.”Nearly 20 percent of all highereducation students in the U.S. weretaking at least one on-line coursein the fall of 2006, according to therecent study, Online Nation: FiveYears of Growth in Online Learning,conducted by the Sloan Consortium.The report also found that the highest growth rate ofonline enrollment came from two-year institutions,which experienced more than half of all onlineenrollments in higher education over the last five years.“It’s an excellent fit. Our students generally don’t goto school full-time. They work, and have many othercommitments in their lives,” says Sullivan.LCTCS has advanced public policy related to onlineeducation as well to ensure its long-term success andgrowth. In the 2009 legislative session, RepresentativeNita Hutter and Senator Yvonne Dorsey sponsoredHouse Bill 771, which authorized the LCTCS boardof supervisors to set uniform tuition and registrationfee amounts for online courses. This move helpsestablish a predictable, consistent fee schedule for allLCTCS colleges. It was an important step in creatingan efficient, easy-to-use online system, since studentsthroughout Louisiana can participate in online classesat LCTCS schools beyond their home campus.The popularity of online classes in general hasincreased at LCTCS schools, but practical nursingrepresents a unique opportunity. Nursing remains ahigh demand field in Louisiana and the U.S., as BabyBoomers continue to age and health care workers retirein greater numbers. Nationwide, nursing curricula isquickly finding its place among distance learninginitiatives. A growing number of Registered Nursing(RN) e-learning programs exist nationwide, but untilnow, equivalent Practical Nursing (PN) programs werenot offered.Louisiana was the right state in which to pilot theprogram because it has a rigorous PN curriculum,says project coordinator Laurie Fontenot, BSN, RN,Acadiana Technical College’s C. B. Coreil Department16 | Moves Magazine