This blog will examine ways in which Whatcom Community College utilizes technology for teaching and learning (WCC, 2015). I am not currently employed in education and do not have access to inside information so much of my analysis comes from a review of the college’s website.
The college offers online courses, hybrid courses and self paced courses and degree through their eLearning program. Online courses employ various technologies and resources to deliver the same learning outcomes as regular on campus courses. Hybrid courses are offered in a combination of an online course platform and with in class instruction. Self-Paced Labs/Mediated Learning allow students to progress at a self-accelerated pace under the guidance of an instructor (WCC, eLearning Course Options, 2015).
CC uses Canvas brand software for their classroom management system. The college website lists several ways for students to learn how to use various tools such as a computer or mobile device and there are training sessions offered on campus that help with this and help with learning the Canvas software. The college provides a link to Canvas Students Tour, which has video and instructions about the interface of the Canvas software (Canvas, n.d.).
The WCC website also has a faculty tutorial and resource page, however, it appears to be a duplicate or direct link to the very same page that directs you to student resources and support services. I am unable to ascertain what types of training programs or resources the college provides for instructors that will be utilizing Canvas classroom management software (Canvas, n.d.). Canvas brand has several tutorial videos posted to YouTube channel (Canvas LMS, 2012) and each video deals with a different aspect of setting up a classroom or utilizing the software tools.
Other ways WCC uses technology to support teaching and learning is by offers student email accounts, has wifi access on campus, a computer lab and hallway computers and mobile learning. WCC’s library has an online searching tool called One Search (WCC Library, 2015). One Search helps instructors and students search online for local and remote sources from multiple collections and holdings from licensed databases (One Search, n.d.).
The final technology I will discuss is WCC’s distance learning program that is offered in consortium through the Washington Sate Community College system (WAOL, 2015). This is an excellent resource for teaching and learning online and is a collaborative venture among colleges to make certain various online courses are accessible to all community college students. If you were enrolled in a program and needed to study 100% online and a course required to graduate was not offered locally at WCC, you could enroll in WAOL to complete the course. If an instructor wanted to offer a course at WCC and enrollment was too low to justify the course offering; the instructor could sign up to teach at WAOL and offer their course to all Washington Community College students (WAOL, 2015).
Canvas LMS (2012). YouTube Channel. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVnFpa6fUDQ
Canvas (n.d.) Canvas Student Tour. Retrieved from https://resources.instructure.com/courses/32
Washington State Board for Community Colleges SBCTC (2015). Washington Online Retrieved from http://www.waol.org/
Whatcom Community College (2015). Retrieved from http://whatcom.edu/home
Whatcom Community College (2015). eLearning Course Options. Retrieved from http://whatcom.edu/academics/elearning/elearning-course-options
Whatcom Community College eLearning (2015). eLearning training and support. Retrieved from http://whatcom.edu/academics/elearning
WCC Library (2015). One Search. Retrieved from http://wactc-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/primo_library/libweb/action/search.do?dscnt=1&dstmp=1395688888614&vid=WHATCOM&fromLogin=true