http://distance.southwest.tn.edu/
Macon Cove Campus (901) 333-4612
Union Avenue Campus (901) 333-5080
Toll-free number 866-275-7822
Southwest provides increasingly greater access to higher education through its Distance Education program. The Distance Education program uses the Internet, cable and network television, interactive teleconferencing and videotapes/DVDs to provide alternative instructional modes to the traditional classroom setting and schedules. For students who are independent learners and who have access to the World Wide Web and/or cable television, Distance Education courses are ideal. Working adults, employees who travel, persons with disabilities, those with long commutes, schedule conflicts or other barriers to college attendance are a few of the many who can benefit from Distance Education.
Southwest offers 7 online degrees and over 100 online courses and 28 telecourses:
Southwest offers a wide array of college credit courses through the World Wide Web ranging from General Education and Developmental Studies courses to Accounting I and II and International Business. For a complete list of online credit courses offered each semester, please go to the Southwest Distance Education Web site: http://distance.southwest.tn.edu. Online courses require that students have access to a personal computer equipped for the Web, the skills to use it, and a reliable Internet Service Provider (ISP). When the student completes the orientation for online courses called PAWS (Preparation for Academic Web Success) at the following Web address: http://distance.southwest.tn.edu/orientation, it will automatically check the computer for the necessary software and will provide important information to help the student determine if he/she has the equipment and skills necessary to be successful in an online course. PAWS is a highly interactive orientation with videos detailing essential information for prospective online students, such as how to begin working in an online course after registration. In order to register for an online course, the student must complete PAWS. At the end of PAWS, the student will print a permit to register and have it signed by an advisor.
A personal e-mail account is provided by the College and students are expected to use that account in their correspondence with the College. In addition, some courses will require students to have specific software applications or utilities installed. See course descriptions and syllabi or contact the instructor for specific software requirements.
The syllabus for each course is available on the Distance Education Web site. Go to http://distance.southwest.tn.edu and select "Courses". Then from "Course Offerings" select the type of course (Online, Telecourse, Hybrid or Web Assisted) and the semester. A list of courses will be displayed. The course number is linked to the syllabus, and the instructor's name is linked to email. Students who are interested in taking an online course for the first time can also preview a sample online course at the following link: http://elearn.southwest.tn.edu. While most of the work in online courses is completed online, many instructors require students to take ests in a proctored environment. Please check the course syllabus for more information.
After registering, the student must contact each of his/her online instructors by e-mail for information. Textbooks and other course materials should be purchased at Follett, the Southwest bookstores (901) 333-4227 Macon Cove Campus or (901) 333-5452 Union Avenue Campus promptly. Unsold books and materials are returned three weeks after the beginning of the semester.
Southwest is a participant in the statewide Regents Online Degree Program (RODP) and offers degrees and courses totally online to any interested student with reliable access to the Internet. Southwest offers courses leading to the following degrees:
These associate degrees are totally transferable into the RODP Bachelor's degrees offered by the six TBR universities. Additional information including a list of courses and corresponding syllabi, system requirements, fees, an online learning orientation, test proctoring, and other information may be found on the Web page for this online learning program: http://www.tn.regentsdegrees.org. Students interested in registering for RODP courses at Southwest should go to the Distance Education Web site, and select "RODP" from the menu. There is an additional fee associated with RODP courses. The Southwest RODP Campus Contact can assist you with questions about RODP courses.
Southwest provides college credit courses delivered by Time Warner Cable television. A complete list of telecourses is available on the Distance Education Web site. Telecourse students view content broadcasts and complete textbook readings and assignments. All telecourses are broadcast on Time Warner Cable (five on basic and 21 on digital); selected telecourses are broadcast on WKNO and the Germantown High School station. In addition, students may view the telecourse series at all Southwest libraries and Academic Support Centers (ASC). Checkout is available at the ASCs on Union Avenue and Macon Cove campuses with a valid student ID card. The telecourse series is available in both VHS and DVD format at some locations.
Students enrolling in telecourses are required to complete an online telecourse orientation. Students may access the telecourse orientation from the Distance Education home page. The orientation provides information about viewing schedules, contacting instructors, course syllabi, and course evaluations. Some instructors will also schedule an on-campus orientation during the first two weeks of class. During the semester, telecourse students will come on campus for review sessions, tests, and the final exam. For more information, please call (901) 333-5573.
Interactive classroom technology can connect the campus ITV classrooms with similar facilities at other TBR schools, the UT system, community rooms in Tennessee, and business and industry sites. The rooms are available for credit courses, noncredit courses, seminars, workshops, and video conferences. In addition, the College provides greater access to students at centers and sites by partnering lower enrollment sections of a course with larger enrollment sections at a campus or other center. Students at both sites can see and hear each other as well as the instructor, submit assignments via fax, and see the whiteboard. For further information, please call (901) 333-4612.
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