The eLearning & Instructional Innovation Center at Laredo College (LC) provides instructional and technical support to maximize student access to instruction by offering online, hybrid/blended, and videoconference courses. Online courses provide greater flexibility and require students to be self-disciplined and to possess time management and technical skills. Students are responsible for purchasing their textbooks, completing their assignments, and taking exams as stated in the course syllabus. Before choosing to enroll in an eLearning class, students are encouraged to complete the online self-assessment "Is eLearning right for me?" which is located on the homepage of the eLearning & Instructional Innovation Center Website (www.laredo.edu/elearning). Self-assessment responses will determine how well eLearning courses fit each student’s learning style and personal skills.
Canvas Learning Management System
The eLearning & Instructional Innovation Center serves as the administrator of Canvas, the Learning Management System for Laredo College. Canvas is the platform used to deliver content for face-to-face, hybrid, and online courses.Students can access Canvas through the PASPort Student Portal.
Modes of Instruction
The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) rules define distance education as "The formal educational process that occurs when students and instructors are not in the same physical setting for the majority (more than 50 percent) of instruction." Distance education can include courses and programs offered online, off-campus face-to-face, and electronic-to-groups. Coordinating Board rules recognize two categories of distance education courses: fully distance education courses and hybrid/blended courses. A fully distance education course is defined as "A course which may have mandatory face-to-face sessions totaling no more than 15 percent of the instructional time. Examples of face-to-face sessions include orientation, laboratory, exam review, or an in-person test." A hybrid/blended course is defined as "A course in which a majority (more than 50 percent but less than 85 percent), of the planned instruction occurs when the students and instructor(s) are not in the same place."
Online Courses
All course activity is completed online; there are no required face-to-face sessions within the course, and the course may require minimal on-campus activity.
Hybrid/Blended Courses
Most course activity is completed online, but there are some face-to-face instructional requirements such as lectures, discussions, labs, or other in-person learning activities. Remember that all course requirements for an online course also apply to a hybrid course.
Videoconference
Technologies are used to extend classroom lectures and other activities to students at remote sites in real time. Students attend scheduled lectures at a designated videoconferencing room that originates at an LC campus, local high school, or other location. The primary difference with this mode of instruction is that several sites may be involved in a simultaneous broadcast.
See
Registration section for details and examples of online, hybrid, and interactive videoconference courses.
Testing for Online Courses
Students taking online courses can test from any location and are not required to come to campus. All online courses will require the use of Respondus LockDown Browser and Monitor which records students while testing. Students can download a copy of the Respondus Monitor program for free from the eLearning & Instructional Innovation Center website at www.laredo.edu/cms/Respondus. The LockDown Browser/Monitor program requires that each student have a computer with a webcam and microphone to record the online exam session. The webcam can be part of your computer, or it can be connected to the computer using a USB cable. To get a basic understanding of the webcam feature of Respondus LockDown Browser and Monitor, view a short video at http://www.respondus.com/products/lockdown-browser/student-movie.shtml. If you don’t have a webcam, you can borrow one for the entire semester from the eLearning & Instructional Innovation Center. Students also have the option to come on-campus to take a test. If you have problems downloading, installing, or taking a test with LockDown Browser/Monitor, contact the eLearning & Instructional Innovation Center staff at 956.721.5880 or complete an eHelp Desk request at https://ehelpdesk.laredo.edu/home.
LC Virtual Backpack
All students have had the experience of filling a backpack for the first day of school with pencils, notepads, campus maps, schedules and other essential tools. Online classes are a little different than what students might experience on campus, and successful online students need their own set of tools to help them in their classes. The LC Virtual Backpack helps students understand their virtual classroom and provides everything they need to have a successful online learning experience. Online students can find the LC Virtual Backpack in their Canvas account.
Registration
Students may register for online, hybrid/blended, and videoconference courses through their student portal, PASPort (pasport.laredo.edu). eLearning courses adhere to LC's admission policies, testing requirements, and academic calendar. A $20 per semester credit hour fee will be charged to students who enroll in an online course(s) to cover the costs associated with managing, maintaining, and upgrading the general operations of Canvas and other related online services. Hybrid/blended and videoconference courses will not be assessed the eLearning fee. Students who desire to register for eLearning courses will be able to find them through PASPort using section identifiers as shown below.
- E01 – E99 (Online courses) Ex. ENGL1301E01
- MY1 – MY9 (Main Campus Hybrid/Blended courses) Ex. KINE1306MY1
- SY1 – SY9 (South Campus Hybrid/Blended courses) Ex. PHYS1302SY1
- LY1 – LY9 (Hybrid/Blended Lab) Ex. BIOL1108LY1
- MV1 – MV9 (Main Campus Videoconference courses) Ex. GOVT2305MV1
- SV1 – SV9 (South Campus Videoconference courses) Ex. ENGL1301SV1
Online students are encouraged to consult the LC Student Handbook to get additional information on how to get advised, drop an online course, the attendance policy, the availability of student support services, and other important online guidelines.
Virtual College of Texas (VCT)
Students may enroll in an online course offered by another community college in Texas through a partnership between LC and the Virtual College of Texas (VCT). VCT offers a wide array of college credit courses that are listed at www.vct.org. To enroll in a VCT course, students need to check the availability of a specific course on the VCT website, and then contact the eLearning & Instructional Innovation Center at 956.721.5211 or by e-mail at elearning@laredo.edu.
Enrollment in VCT courses requires the approval of the respective Department Chairperson. Due to the approval process, students need to contact the eLearning & Instructional Innovation Center at least one month before the advertised start date of the LC Academic Term.
Student eHelp Desk
The eHelp Desk is a self-service portal where students can get help with their technical issues related to Canvas and online classes. Students can log on to the eHelp Desk at https://ehelpdesk.laredo.edu/home. Technical support is available after regular office hours and on weekends.