Virtual Campus coming to IVCC in September
By Staci J. Sessler
If you were wondering what on-line courses you could take, you will soon have one place to go to find the information.
Illinois college students will soon have access to what will be known as the Illinois Virtual Campus (IVC). It will feature an electronic catalog with every on-line course offered by any college or university in Illinois.
The IVC was developed to provide access to more diverse higher education resources and have all of that information in a singe location for easier access. Partners in the IVC will provide student-centered support. This includes proctoring exams, technical support, library access, and marketing.
In the first year, only 15 community colleges were chosen to participate as Partners.
"We applied as a Partner in December, but weren’t chosen as one of the initial fifteen," according to Melissa Templeton, Director of Learning Technologies. "We hope to be a Partner by September 1, 1999."
IVCC, for now, is a Provider in this venture. A Provider is an institution who will be offering on-line courses. That school, along with the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) and the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB), will be responsible for developing, scheduling, quality control, and enrollment in their courses.
"For example, our English Comp class which is now offered on-line, will be included in the electronic catalog," Templeton said.
All two and four year schools that are recognized by the IBHE are encouraged to participate as Providers.
This state-wide initiative is being headed by the University of Illinois who has received a grant from the IBHE.
Web access to students is slated for April 1, 1999 at http://www.ivc.illinois.edu.
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