WSCC Offers Quality Online Courses This Fall

This fall, West Shore Community College is offering more online instruction than previous semesters, along with blended format classes so students benefit from real-time connections with faculty members.

“We are prepared to provide our students with high-quality, accredited, online course options that will count the same as any on-campus class,” said Dr. Mark Kinney, vice president of academics and student services. “We have been focused on strengthening online learning opportunities for years and are proud to have such a variety of online courses available during these uncertain times.”

Online education through West Shore includes a variety of best practices, including student orientations and the same student support services that would be received by any on-campus student. Students are able to engage with their professors, and faculty are specifically trained on how to teach online. Those taking online courses are also able to schedule time with an advisor, access free tutoring, and checkout books from the college library.

If the College doesn’t have the online course a student needs, they also may be able to access it through the Michigan Community College Association’s Michigan Colleges Online (MCO), which provides community college students with access to online courses, regardless of which college they are enrolled in. The collaborative allows students from anywhere in Michigan to take any of the more than 1,200 online courses included in the system.

“We are extremely proud to have such high-quality online educational opportunities available for Michigan students,” said Carl Weckerle, director of Michigan Colleges Online. “Michigan community colleges have been working for years to offer flexible courses for all types of students and that has prepared them to offer strong online courses that are in high-demand due to the coronavirus pandemic.”

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, which measures fall enrollment of students taking some or all courses online, online education at Michigan community colleges has been consistently growing in recently years. Data from fall 2018, showed that nearly 30 percent, or more than 40,000 Michigan community college students, were already taking online classes each semester.

Registration for the WSCC’s fall semester is underway for first-time, returning, and guest students and will continue to the first week the term’s classes. The fall semester begins August 31 and ends December 18.

Online course offerings can be viewed under the “Academics” tab on the college web site.

For more information, visit www.westshore.edu or https://micollegesonline.org.

ABOUT MICHIGAN COLLEGES ONLINE
Michigan Colleges Online, is designed to connect the teaching and student support capacity of Michigan community colleges so learners can access affordable, high-quality learning experiences whenever and wherever desired. The collaborative allows students from anywhere in Michigan and beyond to take any one of the 1,200+ online courses listed in its online catalog. Learn more at www.micollegesonline.org