The North Carolina Community College System Virtual Learning Community is committed to providing a quality educational experience to students through distance learning course offerings available at most North Carolina Community Colleges.
This page is designed to answer some basic questions about distance learning, including options, courses and degrees available, plus give contact information for you to learn more about accessing courses at a particular community college.
Distance Education OptionsDistance learning occurs when the interaction of a student and instructor is separated by place and/or time.
These "non-traditional" courses are designed for students who are self-directed, meaning that they are responsible to do their lessons and assignments without having a set schedule of class meetings (except in ITV classes). More importantly, these classes maintain a level of academic quality comparable with so-called "traditional" courses which meet at a specified day and time in a specific location.
We strongly recommend that new students considering a distance education course be aware of the differences in instruction and of the commitments they must make to complete their lessons before they enroll.
Distance education classes are taught using a variety of methods of content delivery:
- Digital Media Courses are where 100% of the instruction is delivered by non-telecourse digital video or media resources.
- Hybrid Courses are where the primary delivery is online with a requirement that students also meet in traditional face-to-face sessions as determined appropriate by the college.
- Information Highway Courses are where 100% of the instruction is delivered by interactive video.
- Internet Courses are where 100% of the instruction is delivered through the Internet.
- Telecourses are where video, television or cassette delivers 100% of the instruction.
- Teleweb Courses are where 100% of the primary delivery of instruction is via telecourse and also requires Internet accesses as a supplemental part of the course.
- Web-Supported Courses are where the primary delivery is via traditional face-to-face sessions with a requirement those students have Internet access as a supplemental part of the course.