Online Education Options
The majority of our Distance and Online Education courses are internet-based. Blackboard is the course-management system (CMS) used for our online courses, although a few instructors may use other systems or portals. Blackboard allows instructors to place course materials on a password-protected site that only students who are registered for the class can access. Once a student registers for a class, they will be automatically added into the Blackboard system within 24-48 hours. The course will become available on the date listed in the class schedule, and students will then be able to access the course anytime during the day or night from any computer with an internet connection.
Some of our online classes have an on-campus orientation prior to the start date, while others have an online orientation that is part
of the course materials on Blackboard. Students should look on the online Class Schedule
under the faculty profile (
)
for specific information pertaining to each class and its availability.
We also offer hybrid courses, which combine traditional on-campus and online instruction. This reduces the amount of time that students actually need to come to campus because much of the class work is done online. The on-campus meeting times for these courses are generally listed in the class schedule.
Many of the classes at Saddleback College, which are not technically distance education, also use Blackboard as an enhancement to their classroom lessons and activities. For example, instructors may post all of their lectures or handouts online, or they may ask you to engage in online discussions or other activities as part of your course homework. These are referred to as web-enhanced courses.
