Innovative Louisiana CC Program Offers Online Classes via Cell Phone

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — If you’re one of the one million people in Louisiana who own a BlackBerry or similar device, you soon could be taking college courses while text messaging your friends.

The Louisiana Community and Technical College System last month introduced its innovative LCTCSOnline, being touted as one of the nation’s first programs offering college courses on a cellular device.

“Anytime, anywhere, no matter where you live in Louisiana, you’ll have access to higher education,” said LCTCS President Joe May.

Starting Jan. 5, LCTCS will offer 21 primarily education and business courses via cell phones at a cost of $63 per semester hour. May says that as interest grows, so will the number and type of courses offered.

LCTCS already offers a large number of online courses that students can access by computer, but the new system can be accessed either way, offering students mobility.

“Down time becomes creative time,” said Mary Beth Susman, interim executive director of LCTCSOnline. “You can study on the road, wherever you are.”

On the website, students can access class materials, lectures, faculty members, discussion boards with other students and online tutoring. There’s also an online bookstore for ordering books and materials and an online library.

LCTCSOnline offers a one-stop choice of enrolling in any of the state’s technical or community college institutions.

About 25 percent of Louisiana’s 4.2 million people have a BlackBerry — which May said “is really a computer” — or a similar device. If a student qualifies for financial assistance, the cost of the phone and service can be included as an educational cost. Many community and technical college students qualify for federal Pell grants, which cover the cost of any equipment required for classes.

The program was funded with a $500,000 grant from the Louisiana Board of Regents and developed in only nine months with the help of Pearson Custom Solutions, which designed the technology and the courses; AT&T, which worked out the cellular transferability; and the Public Service Commission.

“We placed our money wisely,” said Sally Clausen, commissioner of higher education. “Our investment will pay dividends.”

About 800,000 students across the United States are enrolled in online courses, Clausen said, but “Louisiana is the first to offer them on a cell phone. I’m proud to be a part of it.”

“Geography is the No. 1 barrier” to students receiving a college education, May said, because physically getting to a campus limits access.

 The new system, though, “is going to open doors,” he said. “Even if a student should move some place else in the world, he could still have access to courses.”

May said the LCTCS will not advertise the program outside the state but he expects that some nonresident students will enroll.

Out-of-state-residents will not pay an additional fee to enroll in the online courses, he said. 

Pearson, the world’s largest education publisher, will receive a small portion of the enrollment fees as payment and AT&T could pick up additional customers as its return on the investment, May said.

Don Kilburn, CEO of Pearson, said the new program is “just the beginning” of leveraging cell phone technology.

“I think you will see more demand for this,” he said. “We’re big believers in online education” because it enables “tailor-made courses” to meet specific needs and “frees up educators to teach.”

May said he expects about 1,000 students will enroll in LCTCSOnline starting Jan. 5. The semester begins Jan. 26.

Students may select a home college from the nine participating community colleges. They include:

Baton Rouge Community College, Bossier Parish Community College, Delgado Community College (New Orleans), Elaine P. Nunez Community College (Chalmette) or Louisiana Delta Community College (Monroe).

Also,  River Parishes Community College (Sorrento), South Louisiana Community College (Lafayette), L.E. Fletcher Technical Community College (Houma), and SOWELA Technical Community College (Lake Charles).    

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