Distance education is a formal educational process in which the majority of the instruction in a course (interaction between student, content, and instructor) occurs when students and instructors are not in the same place at the same time. Craven Community College offers distance education courses in fully online and hybrid formats. The term Distance Learning refers to both online and hybrid courses.
Online Courses
Online courses are delivered through Craven’s Learning Management System, Moodle. Online courses allow students to participate academically from geographically remote locations without the need to come to campus. Courses that are offered fully online are designated in the schedule as “On Line” and have the letter “W” in the second letter of the section code(e.g. CIS 110 NW1). A list of currently available online classes is posted to Online Courses. The tuition for these courses includes a DL fee.
Hybrid Courses
Hybrid courses combine regular classroom meetings with online instruction delivered through Moodle, reducing the number of hours a class meets on campus. The goal of hybrid courses is to join the best features of a traditional class with the best features of online learning. Courses that are offered in a hybrid format are designated in the schedule as having both specific class meeting days and times and an “Online Lab”. Hybrid courses have the letter “Y” in the fourth letter of the section code (e.g. CIS 110 HSBY1). Tuition for these courses includes a DL fee.
Award of Credit
The most significant difference between distance education courses and traditional courses is the method of delivery. Distance educations courses are equivalent to traditional courses in the amount and level of credit awarded to students. The North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS) determines the amount of credit for all Craven Community College courses.