CTC RANKS FIFTH NATIONALLY IN ONLINE ENROLLMENT;

FIRST AMONG COMMUNITY COLLEGES

Central Texas College (CTC) now ranks fifth in the nation in online degree-granting program enrollment. According to a recent report released by the U.S. News and World Report, CTC climbed from seventh to fifth place among all colleges and universities in the country, and first place among community colleges, for total enrollment in online degree program with 22,723 students. The data ranks the largest degree-granting online programs for colleges and universities in the country.

The magazine collected data during the summer and fall of 2006 in reference to the 2006-07 academic year. Ahead of CTC were the University of Phoenix, the University of Maryland-University College (UMUC), Excelsior College of New York and Indiana Wesleyan University.

Last December, CTC and UMUC signed an “articulation agreement” which guarantees transferability of CTC courses to UMUC. The agreement covers students in a variety of degree programs including criminal justice and business administration. The agreement is especially significant for Army students, as the institutions hold the number one (UMUC) and number two (CTC) spots in the number of students enrolled in courses covered in whole or in part by Army tuition assistance worldwide.

CTC first began offering credit-granting online-only and distance education courses in 1997 and degree-granting programs in 2000. It currently offers 16 degree and 13 certificates of completion programs that may be completed online. The online degree programs include associate degree plans in applied technology, business management, computer science, criminal justice and social work. In addition, CTC now offers more than 200 credit-granting distance education, online-only courses. Since August 2000, distance learning enrollments at CTC totaled nearly 135,000.

The primary mode of instruction used by CTC for “e-learning” is the Internet. Other modes of instruction include CD-ROM, video and personal data assistant (PDA) courses which were evaluated in a pilot program with the Navy in January, 2006. The PDA courses come in computer chips the size of postage stamps and plug into a palm-sized PDA. The class instruction and assessments are sent via PDA but a textbook is also provided for support material. Future plans call for putting a course's entire textbook on a PDA chip and possibly putting more than one course on a chip.

Students enrolled in CTC distance education courses and programs have access to numerous services as those students in the campus classroom including academic advising, career placement assistance, financial aid, library services, mentoring, technology support, tutoring and bookstore services.

CTC's online student body can be found across the country and around the world consisting not only of soldiers deployed overseas but of all branches of the armed forces as well as civilians and retired military.

A complete list of colleges and universities can be found at

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/elearning/lists/size_lrg_list.htm