The Connecticut Distance Learning Consortium provides a one-stop site for you to get information about distance learning in Connecticut. Online courses, programs, certificates, and degrees are offered by its 48 members. Reading the information on this page and using the links will allow you to find out about distance learning and what is offered in Connecticut. You may then use the links to contact the institution directly for specific information about their requirements.
- What is Distance Learning?
- Who can take an online course?
- How do I know if I am ready to take an online course?
- How do I find out what online courses are available?
- How do I register for a course?
- What technology will I need?
- How much does an online course cost?
- How do I get a degree online?
- What is required to get a degree online?
- How do I pick a college or university?
- Can I take courses at more than one institution?
- What does it mean to matriculate?
- Can I receive financial aid?
- Can I transfer the credits I have earned over the years into a current degree program?
- Why can't I just take the courses that interest me?
- What is the difference between Undergraduate and Graduate courses?
- Do we need textbooks?
- Where do I ask my technology questions?
- Who do I contact with my questions about the course content or assignments?
- Do I have to be online at a certain time?
- Can I move more quickly through a course and finish faster?
If your question wasn't answered here, please feel free to contact me at: eklonoski@ctdlc.org.
Distance Learning courses provide flexible, learner-centered instruction to students who experience barriers of time and place with traditional course offerings. It uses various methods of delivery, including television-based, video-based, and computer/Internet-based course content.
Who can take a distance learning course?
Distance learning courses have the same requirements as traditional courses. For example, some upper level courses require prerequisites. If you are qualified to take the courses at a particular institution, you are qualified to take their online courses.
How do I know if I am ready to take a distance learning course?
The CTDLC
has created a Sample Course
that is available free of charge for any prospective distance learning
student. It will help you discover if you are prepared for the type of
learning that online-based courses will require and if you are technologically
prepared.
To investigate this Sample Course (which takes about an hour) , select
the Sample Course link
in the menu to your left. You will be given a link to the Sample Course
and a username and password.
How do I find out what distance learning courses are available?
The Connecticut Distance Learning Consortium was created to provide just this sort of information. If you go to our Course Offerings section, you will find a listing of what courses are available.
How do I register for a course?
If you follow the link for Course Offerings, you will find the registration information for each institution that is offering courses. Some schools register students on their web sites and some even offer students the option of paying for the course online.
Follow the link for Technical Support. There will be links for System Requirements, under each Supported Application. You can also test your technology by spending an hour in one of our Sample Courses. Just click on the link to the left entitled Sample Courses. You will be given a link to the course along with a username and password.
How much does a distance learning course cost?
Each institution sets its own price for its distance learning courses, just as they do for their on-campus courses. We have a range of prices for distance learning courses just as we do for on-ground courses. So you will see prices that start at $250 for a three-credit course and rise to about $800. Graduate course prices follow the same rules.
How do I get a degree at a distance?
Several
of our member institutions offer complete degree programs at a distance.
This means you can do all the course work for a degree using distance
learning courses. You can discover what these programs are and who is
offering them by following the link for Degree
Programs on the main page.
But you can also use distance learning courses as part of a traditionally
delivered degree. For example, some students take a mixture of on-ground
and online-based courses to meet their program requirements.
What is required to get a degree at a distance?
A degree
at a distance has the same sorts of requirements as a traditionally delivered
degree. Most institutions require students to take General Education courses
as part of their first 60 credits to create the necessary background for
a Bachelor's degree. And most institutions require students to take a
series of courses that will form their major.
You can find out about these requirements by requesting a catalog from
the school at which you wish to earn your degree. This catalog can be
requested by visiting the school, calling the admissions office, or even
using e-mail from the school's web site. Many institutions have their
catalogs online. Use the CTDLC
Members section of the CTDLC web site to find the catalog
of the institution you are looking for.
How do I pick a college or university?
Most adult
students make this decision based on such variables as proximity, cost,
degree program availability, and now online course options. You can discover
which institution is right for you by visiting the CTDLC
Members section of the CTDLC web site and clicking the link
to the web sites of those schools that interest you. On their web sites
schools describes their programs, costs, location and online options.
Remember that you can find out who is offering a program that is entirely
online by following the link for Degree
Programs.
Can I take courses at more than one institution?
Yes, you can. But it is important to check with your advisor at the institution at which you are matriculated to see if the courses you wish to transfer in to your degree program will fit. In other words, it is up to the school that will grant you your degree to decide which courses transfer and how they will be counted.
What does it mean to matriculate?
When you enroll in a school and begin to pursue one of its degree programs, you have matriculated. In other words, you matriculate at the institution that will award you the degree.
Can I receive financial aid?
Yes, you
can. If you are taking an occasional online-based course as part of your
degree program, it does not change your eligibility for financial aid.
If you are enrolled at a program that is entirely at a distance, you may
also be eligible for financial aid because 25 of the institutions in the
CTDLC are part of a federal Demonstration Program to create new procedures
for offering Title IV financial aid to students like you. We have received
a series of waivers and permission to begin offering financial aid. You
can discover more by going to the CTDLC Financial
Aid Web site, by writing to Diane Goldsmith (dgoldsmith@ctdlc.org),
Dean of Planning, Research, & Assessment for the CTDLC, or
by contacting the financial aid office at your home institution.
Can I transfer the credits I have earned over the years into a current degree program?
Yes, but
the rules on credit transfer are a little different at each institution.
Most institutions place some limits on the number of credits you can transfer
and how old they are. For example, some institutions limit you to transfer
credits that are no more than 10 years old.
And most institutions have something called a residency requirement that
means you must take a certain number of your credits through the college
awarding the degree. This number usually varies from 15 to 45 credits.
One of the CTDLC members-Charter Oak State College-specializes
in adult students with lots of transfer credits. They do not have a
residency requirement, and they do not outdate credits. Charter Oak
offers Associate's and Bachelor's degrees in General Studies. You can
find out more about them from their web site at www.charteroak.edu.
Why can't I just take the courses that interest me?
You can
do this, but it may not lead to a degree. Colleges and universities create
learning plans (required courses) so students will do more than accumulate
credits. They believe that by taking courses that relate to certain outcomes
and that interrelate in certain ways a student has an educational experience
where the whole is greater than the parts.
So you are free to take courses that interest you, but if you want to
get a degree, it is critical that you talk to an advisor at the institution
that offers the degree you are seeking.
What is the difference between Undergraduate and Graduate courses
Colleges
and universities award degrees that proceed in the following order:
Associate degree (60 credits)
Bachelors degree (120 credits)
Masters degree (30-60 credits beyond the Bachelors)
Ph.D.(30 credits beyond the Masters)
Generally, students take courses at the appropriate level for the degree
they are pursuing. For example, Associate degree programs like those at
Connecticut's Community-Technical Colleges use courses from the Freshmen
and Sophomore level (designated 100 and 200's level at many institutions).
Do we need textbooks?
Yes, most courses do require textbooks. You will be able to purchase most books online at such places as Amazon.com or Barnes&Noble.com. Your instructor will share this information with you as part of the Syllabus.
Where do I ask my technology questions?
The CTDLC
has a Technical Support staff. We can answer your questions by e-mail,
over the phone, and by using our online
ticketing system. The staff monitors the calls, emails,
and ticketing system 7 days a week. In addition, there are Frequently
Asked Questions sections
under each supported application within our Technical
Support Portal that provide answers to common questions
and problems.
Contacting CTDLC Technical Support
Web: http://support.ctdlc.org (Ticketing system)
Email: support@ctdlc.org
Phone: 860-832-3887
Tollfree outside the Hartford Area: 1-866-462-8352 (1-866-GO CTDLC)
Who do I contact with my questions about the course content or assignments?
Each course has an instructor who teaches the course. He or she will be available by e-mail and in the course conference. Some even hold virtual office hours when they are sitting at their computer answering e-mail. In their Syllabus, most instructors will tell you how fast they answer e-mail and when they are most available.
Do I have to be online at a certain time?
Courses often require that you log on with a certain frequency, but most courses do NOT require students to be online at a certain time. Those few that do employ synchronous activities like chat sessions usually offer multiple opportunities to participate so students will not be inconvenienced. You should read the course description carefully to see if the course(s) you are interested in require such meetings.
Can I move more quickly through a course and finish faster?
Good question.
Right now most courses are scheduled using the semester system. Some schools
have an accelerated semester system (e.g. 8 weeks for a course), but even
these are sequenced so the cohort of students moves at approximately
the same rate. So, you can move faster but you won't be able to take the
next course until the next start moment arrives.
BUT, we expect to begin offering more flexible courses
in the near future, and if you are interested in such improvements, please
let your instructors, your home institution, and the CTDLC know. Your
course will have a final Evaluation where you can tell us about such needs.