San Jac College will launch its newest campus, San Jac Online, in Fall 2025. Dr. Ken F. Tidwell, Chief Officer for Online Learning, leads implementation planning for the new campus to support the growing number of students engaging in online learning.
Tidwell has been involved with online learning since the early 2000s when he taught his first online course for the Air Force. He was introduced to online and cross-platform education when the Air Force was experimenting with online training for military members. It was not a planned experience for Tidwell.
“They were like, Hey, we are testing this out. Go teach this course. and I was like, ‘okay’”, says Tidwell.
From that experiment, the Air Force saw positive training progress. Then in 2010, Tidwll transitioned to teaching at a community college where he was assigned to teach online courses.
“I quickly discovered teaching online students who could not attend classes on campus due to various reasons. It was not because of their intellectual capacity; it seemed that geography came into play hindering students’ academic success and earning professional career credentials,” says Tidwell.
Tidwell did not find that fair, “…especially at a community college where our mission is founded on expanding access to students,” Tidwell added, “giving students and learners an opportunity right where they are to still achieve their educational goals.”
San Jacinto College is launching an online campus, but online learning is not a new concept.
“There was a survey this past spring, amongst senior leaders at universities and community colleges across the country, and two-thirds indicated that their number one and primary growth strategy for their institution is expanding online learning and online programs,” says Tidwell.
Tidwell is familiar with San Jac number, especially the differences in student needs before and after the pandemic. Before COVID in 2020, around 13% of students took online courses but since then, the College has seen a change with 33%-35% taking online courses and another third taking some online, face-to-face, or hybrid classes as of today.
This indicates that online learning is affecting 63%-67% of students each term. This growth reveals the appeal of online learning to a growing number of students who see the potential of completing their degree online. San Jac currently has 24 online degrees and 26 certificates available to meet student’s needs.
Importance of Collaboration and Communication
The college intends to establish an online campus in response to the growing demand from students. The college’s new campus is to give adequate assistance to the 8,000 to 9,000 students enrolled online, as well as to identify the resources and support needed to help students accomplish their educational goals.
Tidwell leads the San Jac Online Implementation Team which consists of representatives from across the college district striving to create and identify administrative structures and resources to accommodate the growth of online enrollment.
“It is not a project. It is not an initiative. This is a transformational moment for San Jacinto College,” says Tidwell.
Therefore, Tidwell, faculty, department chairs, staff, and administrators across the district must communicate to promote transparency in the planning and ensure misinformation is minimalized.
The Implementation Team oversees the work of multiple specific project groups working to align all the pieces such as analyzing learning needs, designing instructional strategies, developing, and implementing materials, and evaluating the effectiveness of online instruction.
They aim to expand on the already massive resources available today and gain additional support and have meetings with internal and external stakeholders—the community and community leaders, faculty, the Texas Board of Higher Education, our accreditors including the FACCOC, SACSCOC which is the Southern Accrediting group—to determine the best practices, address any concerns or uncertainties and requirements for online learning.
Is Online Learning the Future?
“One thing is certain: traditional learning will not disappear, but there will continue to be a demand from students for online options. There will be a demand for students who want to be on campus, as well as students who must do both,” says Tidwell.
Online learning will remain an integral part of education, but individualized and tailored learning is crucial for success. San Jac Online campus aims to provide students with technology access and flexibility to ensure geographic barriers or employment schedules do not hinder a student’s educational opportunities.
“It’s going to be awesome,” says Tidwell.
For more information visit the link to San Jac Online.
