Covid-19 Update
Virtical Education has been helping colleges transition from the physical classroom to the virtual classroom for years. Our faculty training along with our course reviews can quickly help colleges prepare for the next crisis that could hit any campus. We can begin the process now with a targeted phone call or Zoom session with academic personnel, vice presidents, deans, department chairs, and others to discuss the best ways to navigate these challenging times. We can begin to look at where your college is in the transition and make recommendations for how you can continue to move forward in this shift to online education. Once we see where your institution is in the process and help you ensure you are moving forward we can then help you put a plan in place to prepare for the next situation that could force your institution back online. If you would like to contact us please feel free to email us at info@virticaled.com or call us at 843-413-2860.
WHAT WE DO
With over 50 years in combined online education experience, the team at Virtical Education helps colleges transition from the physical classroom to the virtual classroom. We help faculty and administrators understand what is required if their goal is to offer quality courses and programs online. We help them understand what the oversight agencies (Department of Education – Financial Aid – and regional accrediting agencies) require of colleges who teach online. Colleges who do not fully understand the complexities of online education can sometimes find themselves in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. A quick online search will provide some examples of what can happen if an institution jumps into online education without understanding what is required of them. Take a minute to ask yourself these questions:
Could your institution survive a multi-million dollar fine imposed by the Department of Education for not meeting certain standards in online education? How about a lawsuit from former students claiming your online program lacks the quality of your on-campus program? Are you confident that your regional accrediting agency will give you an all-clear review of your online courses and programs? Can you provide all of the supporting documentation showing that you provide the same services for your online students that you do for your on-campus students?
Online Education is growing very quickly in the US. In 2016 over 6 million students were taking at least one online course. (Campus Technology 1/22/18) Many, if not most, institutions are trying to figure out how to enroll their share of these students. The primary focus of most colleges has been on recruiting and enrolling students with very little attention paid to how well students are served once they begin their online courses. We take a look at areas most institutions don’t think about. Here is what we can do for you:
It starts with a completely confidential compliance discovery audit.
~You need to know and understand where your institution stands with respect to the Department of Education and your Regional Accreditation Authority.
~This safe audit shows you any shortcomings or areas of improvement needed to adhere to the principles of accreditation or Department of Education requirements.
~This comprehensive audit also uncovers areas of strength you institution can exploit for further growth
Request a Free Mini Audit Today
~We will review three online courses and produce a sample report of our findings.
Comprehensive Training of Faculty, administrators and Staff.
~We provide training for faculty on how to effectively teach online boosting completion and retention.
~We work with distance education administrators and staff members to implement and ensure best practice implementation and compliance.
~We help ensure college leadership complies with all Department of Education standards and accompanying Regional accreditation standards.
Provide complete documentation of all findings and develop a good faith action plan for all compliance issues, with a scalable timeline for implementation for correction activities.
In short, we first provide a systematic audit for all your distance education programs (certificates, diplomas, and degrees). Based on the audit above Virtical Education then performs the comprehensive training component of our services (first discovery, then implementation). Then the team provides a scalable solution to implement a good faith action plan for any identified areas of concern (discovery, implementation, and then solutions).
Compliance is a process, not a destination, does your institution have the knowledge and toolset, ready and available to complete the process and protect your institution?
Don’t let your institution fall prey to the Department of Education or your Regional Accrediting Authority. Contact the experts at Virtical Education today.
We at Virtical Education understand that the above steps are defensive measures, but Virtical Education also provides some significant benefits. Some of the many benefits of Virtical Education’s programs provide are:
~Increased Online Retention (matching and sometimes outpacing face-to-face retention)
~Increased Course Completion
~Increased Persistence
The proximate result of these benefits lead to increased enrollment, retention and therefore increased sustainability and revenue.
