Conroe - Montgomery Edition - June 2022

HIGHER EDUCATION Lone Star College System adds online campus, additional e-learning opportunities for fall 2022

LSC-ONLINE AT A GLANCE Lone Star College System’s eighth campus, LSC-Online, will be available in August. Online classes will also be available for out-of-district students.

40 staff members

BY ANDREW CHRISTMAN

Houston region. “I just think that COVID-[19] ... made more people interested in going online,” Fuller said. “There was a shift in student attitudes towards online learning.” Keshvala said target demograph- ics could include military personnel and eventual international options. LSC-Online will launch with what Keshvala said are the top transfer degrees, including Associate of Arts, Associate of Science and Associate of Arts in teaching degrees. Keshvala said the degrees earned by LSC-Online students will be transferable across Texas. As of June, the cost of enrolling at LSC-Online will be the same as attending any LSCS campus. Infor- mation from LSCS states the cost of enrolling for 12 credit hours in the fall 2022 semester is around $1,080 for an in-district student.

coronavirus pandemic drove home the need for additional virtual learning options. “We know students that were taking online classes prepandemic and then all of a sudden were forced to take them [online],” Keshvala said. “We are really trying to cater to the demand that we are seeing.” The campus will launch with 40 full-time staff members from within the college system, she said. Keshvala said the purpose of offering an online campus is to increase enrollment with students who may want to focus on an online education, including out-of- district students. Matthew Fuller, director of the Center for Assessment, Research and Educational Safety with Sam Houston State University, said LSCS’ decision to launch the online campus matches a trend around the

Starting in August, the Lone Star College System will launch its eighth campus as a way for students to receive their degrees entirely online. The college may be able to eventually offer its online offerings to students across the country and internationally in the future, officials said. According to an April 11 news release from LSCS, the new campus was added in response to demand for virtual learning, and it has been in the works for nearly a decade. LSCS officials said in an email that developing the new campus has added around $2 million to the system’s general existing budget, and it also expands the scope of its e-learning offerings. Seelpa Keshvala, LSCS executive vice chancellor and LSC-Online CEO, said in a phone interview the

3,300 Up to students

24 -hour IT support

30 programs

for 12 credit hours in-district in fall 2022

$1,080

DEGREES WILL INCLUDE: Associate of Arts Associate of Science Associate of Arts in teaching

SOURCE: LONE STAR COLLEGE SYSTEM/COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER

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