NEWS RELEASE - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS)
Date: March 25, 2009
Brooke Watson, 859-256-3562' brooke.watson@kctcs.edu
KCTCS Online to Offer 24/7, Affordable and Accredited Higher Education to Working Adults
This spring, The Kentucky Community and Technical College System, the leading provider of online education in the state of Kentucky, will launch KCTCS Online, a virtual learning initiative designed to attract more adult learners to online education.
In 2006, KCTCS realized a need for KCTCS Online after conducting an extensive statewide market research study among prospective students that indicated the state could triple the number of adults interested in pursuing higher education by offering online college degrees in a format more conducive to working adults.
Additionally, dialogues with CEOs across the state revealed the need among businesses and industries for modular on-line course offerings that would allow employees to take classes anytime, anyplace and anywhere.
As a result of these studies, KCTCS Online will provide students with a college experience that does not require them to physically open the door of any of our 16 colleges and provides additional, flexible program options targeted to the working adult.
Specific product highlights include:
- With KCTCS Online, students will never need to physically visit a KCTCS campus. They can access KCTCS Online courses and support services 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days a year. Enrollment, academic advising, technical assistance, textbooks and library resources are all available to students via online or by phone.
- KCTCS Online classes are divided into modularized courses completed in timeframes of 3-8 weeks. Students can enroll in the number of modules that is right for their schedule. The modules build toward credits, and credits build toward certificates and degrees.
- If employers need to provide training in a specific skill, they can enroll their employees in the module needed to complete that skill -wasting zero time and money on unneeded training.
- KCTCS Online will offer the same, low tuition as regular KCTCS course offerings. Plus, the modular approach breaks tuition into even smaller increments. KCTCS Online courses are offered through our KCTCS colleges and are fully accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
- Students may be eligible to receive credit for prior knowledge on KCTCS Online course modules.
The KCTCS Online product launch will begin with a soft rollout in late January and a public launch in late March. The initial offerings will include an associate degree in business administration, an associate degree in information technology, and certificates that address specific workforce needs. In total, 241 modules will be offered this spring, and additional modules in Nursing and Industrial Maintenance Technology will be added during 2009.
The KCTCS online learning initiative is designed to give thousands of working Kentuckians the opportunity to pursue a flexible, accredited, and affordable higher education.
For most Kentuckians, higher education begins at KCTCS. Our statewide system of 16 colleges and 65 campuses provides citizens throughout the Commonwealth with a quality education that is both accessible and affordable.