College of the Canyon: Distance Learning with Flexibility and Convenience

College of the Canyon is a two-year community college located in California. It has been one of the fastest growing colleges in California for the last 16 years. Presently, the college employs 165 full-time faculty and 170 full-time classified staff.

It serves more than 17,000 students in each term and provides high quality academic and technical programs that include 1,528 class sections, 38 certificate training programs, 55 disciplines/majors, and 34 computer labs.

The college plays an important role in training and educating members of the local workforce and has created business training partnerships with 265 local companies.

A major part of California's Master Plan for Higher Education is for students to begin their college education in a community college and to transfer to a four-year college or university. The numbers of students who have transferred from the college to the California State University and the University of California have been growing.

College of the Canyon also offers a wide range of online courses, which include a 100% online associate degree.

Accreditation

Regional accreditation is important in obtaining certain types of student financial aid and transferring units to and from other higher-education systems. The college was first accredited in 1972 by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), which is one of the six regional associations that accredit schools, colleges, and universities in the US.

An Accrediting Commission team from the WASC visited the college in 2002. In its final report it called the college an excellent institution and commended it in a number of areas.

Distance Learning

Distance learning courses offer more flexibility and convenience, which are needed by adult non-traditional students, but they may be more difficult and may take more time to complete. Distance learning students have to do more reading and research than they would normally have to do in traditional courses.

The College of the Canyon offers a wide range of courses that include 100% online courses as well as hybrid courses that meet on campus at least once. Attendance of the orientation meeting is mandatory. A 100% online course may require testing at an institution like a community college near your home.

Most of the online courses at the college use the Blackboard course management system, though several courses are also delivered via the CourseCompass system. Online tutorials and instructions are available to help students to learn how to use these systems.

You can also join a College-by-Television (CTV) Course, which requires at least five mandatory on-campus meetings during the semester, including the orientation meeting. You will require text books and study guides that can be purchased online or in the college bookstore.

The College of the Canyon is an accredited college that helps to meet the needs of students with different requirements and interests. You can get a recognized degree here, which will help you to transfer to a four-year college or to get a job.