Dr. Scott Alsobrooks, Guest Columnist
The Picayune Item
POPLARVILLE —
There is no doubt about it; the world is going to change with or without us. As the old saying goes, you better board the train, or get left at the station. In community college education, PRCC is not just on the train, but providing the horsepower needed to move the cars!
In April, 2011 PRCC faculty and staff initiated the idea of offering online classes in the Business Marketing and Management Technology program. A bit of a controversial idea at first, as the program has a long history of success in the traditional mode. PRCC Program instructors Carol Williams and Delana Harris, being education innovators, had already taught some of their classes in the online format. This was done to accommodate some students that had difficulty commuting to and from campus. A common complaint with fuel costs on a continuing upward trend; it only makes sense that students will seek out a fiscally sound means to attend college.
By August, 2011 the program was totally online. With lots of hard work by both Williams and Harris, an online and physical view book was created. Adjunct instructor, Candace Harper, was posting announcements about the online offerings on Facebook and the program was up and running. The first semester there were 15 students enrolled with 11 choosing Business Marketing as their preferred major. By the fall semester of 2012 the program had grown to 51 students and 41 majors. Instructors are proud with the 85% retention rate. Using the concepts taught in class, the instructors provided extreme customer service and support to the online students. This constant contact aided in the rapid enrollment and growth of the program. With enrollment beginning for the spring 2013 semester, interest is continuing to grow. Students choosing the online format for learning will continue to grow. Not only those seeking to eliminate fuel costs, but also those that live in faraway places that desire a high quality online degree. The first graduates from the online program will be in May, 2013.
If you are interested in a high quality education, offered in an affordable and convenient manner, visit http://www.prcc.edu/career-tech/business-marketing-management.
