Establishing Off-Site First-Year Regional Campuses Through Blended Learning
Submission Type
20-minute Presentation
Abstract
Schreiner University (Kerrville, TX) operates three off-site campuses in El Paso, Mission, and Brownsville, Texas, serving the needs of a traditionally underserved population: the first generation, economically-challenged Hispanic student, one not quite ready to leave home yet. Courses offered at these centers include traditional face-to-face classes taught by off-site coordinators, online classes offered through College Consortium, a platform for course-sharing between partner universities and colleges and the model determined to be most successful, the course which includes a combination of all of these approaches as well as weekly video-conferences with the instructor of record.
Start Date
5-24-2018 1:35 PM
Description
In the Fall 2017, Schreiner University (Kerrville, TX) opened three off-site campuses in El Paso, Mission, and Brownsville, Texas. While colleges and universities have been running distance learning locations for quite some time now, what makes this specific initiative unique is its target market and its singleness of purpose. As a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HIS), Schreiner University committed more fully to embracing that identity by offering locations to serve a traditionally underserved population: the first generation, economically-challenged Hispanic student, particularly one not quite ready to leave home yet. With this initiative Schreiner University determined to bring the first-year experience directly to the incoming freshmen where they lived and worked, allowing them to earn thirty hours of college credit with little or no student loan debt before transferring to main campus at the start of their sophomore year. But the immediate challenge became how to best deliver the typical freshmen courses and content to this student population while ensuring high quality and a strong blended learning experience. This session will examine all of those methods, from traditional face to face classes taught by off-site coordinators to the careful selection and development of online classes offered through a partnership with College Consortium, a platform for course-sharing between partner universities and colleges and the model determined to be most successful, the course which includes a combination of all of these approaches as well as weekly video-conferences with the instructor of record. Session participants will gain an understanding of challenges and opportunities of establishing first-year regional centers. This presentation will examine closely pros and cons of course content sharing with platforms such as College Consortium.
Establishing Off-Site First-Year Regional Campuses Through Blended Learning
Schreiner University (Kerrville, TX) operates three off-site campuses in El Paso, Mission, and Brownsville, Texas, serving the needs of a traditionally underserved population: the first generation, economically-challenged Hispanic student, one not quite ready to leave home yet. Courses offered at these centers include traditional face-to-face classes taught by off-site coordinators, online classes offered through College Consortium, a platform for course-sharing between partner universities and colleges and the model determined to be most successful, the course which includes a combination of all of these approaches as well as weekly video-conferences with the instructor of record.
Comments
A brief introduction to this Schreiner University initiative:
http://www.schreiner.edu/academics/regional-learning-communities.aspx
An overview of College Consortium:
https://www.collegeconsortium.org/