Distance Learning
Distance learning at Western Piedmont Community College expands educational opportunities by offering non-traditional course delivery for students who may find it difficult to attend classes on campus. In many instances, students can enroll in curriculum and Workforce Development & Continuing Education courses, and earn credits without having to attend on-campus classes.
Distance learning courses provide quality instruction comparable to traditional on-campus instruction and carry full curriculum and Workforce Development & Continuing Education credit. Distance learning courses are equivalent to on-campus courses in terms of prerequisites, content, rigor, and in the case of curriculum courses, transferability.
Distance learning courses offer a high degree of flexibility and require students who are self-motivated, self-disciplined, and able to work more independently.
Distance learners pay the same tuition and fees as traditional students and have access to all academic and support services, including online access to the Library’s electronic databases, “Ask a Librarian” remote reference, and Student Services.
Some distance learning courses require a minimum number of scheduled meetings with the instructor, and students may be required to participate in course orientation and proctored testing sessions. Students enrolled in distance learning courses use a variety of techniques to stay in touch with their instructors and other students taking the course.
The College offers distance learning courses in a variety of formats, including:
Internet Courses
The College offers a variety of courses that are technology-based and use the Internet as the main method of course delivery and student/faculty communication. Students enrolled in Internet courses communicate with their instructors and other students using a variety of online applications including electronic mail, discussion boards, and “virtual classrooms.” Internet courses use a range of instructional resources including textbooks and digital media, study guides, the World Wide Web, and resources developed by the course instructor. Students have remote access to online library database resources.
The College offers Internet courses in the following formats:
- 100% of instruction is delivered online.
- 100% of instruction is delivered online with optional on-campus meetings available.
- 100% of instruction is delivered online through mandatory scheduled online meetings.
Students register for Internet courses in the same way they would register for traditional courses.
Hybrid Courses
The College offers Hybrid courses that combine Internet and on-campus instruction. The primary method of delivery (51% percent or more) for hybrid courses is online, with additional scheduled instruction delivered through mandatory face-to-face sessions in a seated environment.
Students register for Hybrid courses in the same way they would register for traditional courses.
Web Assisted Courses
On-campus seated courses may also include a mandatory Internet component. The primary method of delivery (51% percent or more) for Web Assisted courses is face-to-face in a seated environment, with additional mandatory instruction delivered online.
Students register for Web Assisted courses in the same way they would register for traditional courses.
North Carolina Information Highway (NCIH) Classes
The College may offer courses delivered over the North Carolina Information Highway (NCIH). Faculty can use the NCIH classroom to provide instruction to students who attend class on-campus or to students who participate in WPCC courses from remote NCIH sites. Students can also receive instruction from a remote site using NCIH technology. In the NCIH classroom, the instructor and students interact at a scheduled time using television, cameras, and a sound system that allows them to see and hear each other in real-time, as though they were all in the same location.
Courses using NCIH technology are like traditional courses except that the instructor may be teaching from or broadcasting to a remote location. Students in NCIH courses may have classmates at other NCIH sites across the state.
Students register for NCIH courses in the same way they would register for traditional courses.