San Jacinto College Online, the College’s newest campus, will launch in fall 2025.
The virtual campus represents a major shift in how the College will support online students, offering a streamlined, consistent learning experience across all virtual courses.
The College first considered launching the virtual campus all at once, but after reviewing enrollment trends and early planning in summer 2024, it was evident more time was needed. A team of faculty, staff, and administrators recommended a phased rollout, which the Strategic Leadership Team approved.
Seamless support
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San Jac students can pursue 60 certificates and degrees fully online.
With a phased launch, San Jac Online will improve the student experience significantly, addressing several common challenges that current online students face. Many online students are unsure which campus their courses are offered through or whom to contact for assistance. This can lead to confusion and unnecessary delays.
Confusion around course formats and campus support has highlighted the need for a more streamlined process. Students sometimes enroll in the wrong courses without fully realizing the schedule differences, and navigating between campuses for assistance can lead to delays and frustration. Centralizing support through San Jac Online creates a more seamless and efficient experience from the start.
San Jac Online will provide a single point of contact for students and College staff, allowing them to get the guidance they need faster without being bounced between multiple campuses.
Consistent course options
A key aspect of the virtual campus will be consistency in online course offerings. All sections of a particular online course will feature aligned textbooks and a consistent basic course design. This will allow students to focus on learning the material rather than struggling to navigate different course set-ups.
“One of the key goals of the new campus is to ensure that every section of the same online course uses the same textbook and course design in our learning management system,” said Niki Whiteside, interim chief officer of online learning for San Jac Online. “Research shows this approach leads to better outcomes for online learners by combining the expertise of our faculty and best practices in instructional design.”
Achieving the goals
One goal of San Jac Online is to simplify the process.
Students enrolled online may also take on-campus courses, giving them flexibility in how they learn.
For Whiteside, the most important goal of San Jac Online is clear — student success.
“The goal of San Jac Online’s launch is to ensure the College is best suited to support students choosing online learning to reach their goals,” she said.
Learn more about San Jac Online.
By Neesha Hosein
