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Online Education

The Office of Online Learning at Snead State Community College promotes and supports the innovative use of technology in teaching, advising, and mentoring students while emphasizing academic excellence within a supportive environment. The technologies that we support can be used in online, blended, and traditional courses.

Snead State is the online learning leader in the Alabama Community College System (ACCS). Snead State offered the first online courses in 1999 and has expanded the online curriculum ever since. Starting with the 2015-2016 academic year, over fifty percent of registrations and credit hours were for online/hybrid courses.

Snead State offers hundreds of online classes and a number of degree programs and certificate programs that can be completed entirely through online classes or hybrid course options.

AS Degree Programs

Most university transfer options are available 100 percent online, including our popular Business, Elementary Education and Pre-Nursing options.

AAS Degree Programs

Long-Term Certificate Programs

Short-Term Certificate Programs

*Within the Child Development degrees/certificates, the CHD 215 Supervised Practical Experience course requires 90 hours of field experience placement. Details are available from the Child Development Program.

**The Mobility LPN-to-Associate Degree Nursing program includes some courses that require on-campus meetings, and some that require clinical placements. Details are available from the Health Sciences Division.

Affiliations

  • Snead State is a member of the Alabama Consortium for Technology and Learning (ALACTL). ALACTL is a member service organization that provides opportunities for collaboration, resource sharing and achieving economies of scale in procurement of instructional technology resources.
  • Snead State is a Quality Matters subscriber. Quality Matters provides tools and processes used to evaluate quality in course design.
  • Snead State Community College has been approved by the State of Alabama as a participant in the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA). NC-SARA is a voluntary, regional approach to state oversight of postsecondary distance education.

Contact Us for Assistance

To ensure the fastest reply, please email questions/issues to DL@snead.edu. Emails sent to this address are forwarded to all of the Office of Online Learning staff.

Online Education Resources

Student Resources

Faculty Resources

Tech Support

Contacts

Michael Gibson

Associate Dean for Online Learning

256-840-4124

Jerri Gullion

IT Technician I/Blackboard Administrator

256-840-4180

John Miller

Head Librarian/Online Learning Help Desk

256-840-4195

Gary Bodine

Librarian/Online Learning Help Desk

256-571-0638

Online Education FAQs

Online Education

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How do online, blended, and traditional courses compare?

  • Traditional courses are offered on campus. Students attend face-to-face classes where an instructor provides a lecture and leads a classroom discussion. Instructors may enhance traditional courses through the use of online systems.
  • Online courses are delivered over the Internet through Snead State’s learning management system and other tools/sites. Students are not required to attend face-to-face class meetings for lectures, but proctored exams may be required.
  • Hybrid courses (blended) offer the best features of traditional and online courses. Part of the course will be taught in a traditional face-to-face format and part will be taught online. This allows faculty and students an opportunity to build strong personal relationships through face-to-face interaction, while offering a more flexible schedule than traditional courses. The number of required face-to-face meetings is determined by the instructor. Proctored exams may be required.
  • No matter how a course is delivered, the same objectives and outcomes are used. Online and Hybrid courses require as much commitment as Traditional on-campus courses.
  • All courses require dedicated, ongoing, and regular participation. Regardless of the delivery mode, instructors will set due dates that must be met. Online/Hybrid courses are not self-paced courses!
  • Most Online courses are asynchronous, meaning that students may complete their coursework at any point during the day. In courses that include synchronous online activities, such as an online video chat, the days and times for the activities will be listed for that course in the class schedule.
  • The big advantage of online courses is that some concerns, such as lining up transportation to and from class or arranging for childcare while in class, aren’t an issue with Online classes; the classes may be attended from any place where you have a working computer and internet connection.
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What online/hybrid programs does Snead State offer?

Snead State offers hundreds of online classes and a number of degree programs and certificate programs that can be completed entirely through online classes.

Associate of Science (A.S.) Degree Programs

Most university transfer options are available 100 percent online, including our popular Business, Elementary Education and Pre-Nursing options.

Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) Degree Programs

  • Applied Business (10 concentration options)
  • Child Development*
  • Nursing: Mobility LPN-to-Associate Degree Nursing**
  • Office Administration

Long-Term Certificate Programs

  • Accountancy
  • Child Development*

Short-Term Certificate Programs

  • Child Development*
  • Medical Billing and Coding
  • Office Administration

*Within the Child Development degrees/certificates, the CHD 215 Supervised Practical Experience course requires 90 hours of field experience placement. Details are available from the Child Development Program.

**The Mobility LPN-to-Associate Degree Nursing program includes some courses that require on-campus meetings, and some that require clinical placements. Details are available from the Health Sciences Division.

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What online courses are being taught this/next semester?

A wide variety of online courses are offered each semester at Snead State. View our class offerings. Note: To restrict your search to online/blended courses only, select “Online” in the Session field.

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If I am not a resident of Alabama, can I still take online courses?

Snead State Community College has been approved by the State of Alabama to participate in the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA). NC-SARA is a voluntary, regional approach to state oversight of postsecondary distance education.

Students in all 50 states and the District of Columbia may take Snead State Community College’s online courses/programs. The following states do not currently participate in NC-SARA, but Snead State is in compliance with their state regulations:

  • California – As an out-of-state public institution, Snead State Community College is not under the purview of the California Bureau of Private Postsecondary Education, thus Bureau approval for Snead State to offer its online programs to residents of California is not required. Therefore, Snead State is in compliance with California regulations concerning postsecondary distance education.

View Tuition rates for out-of-state students.

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How do out-of-state students file a complaint?

Students are encouraged to first attempt to resolve complaints in an informal manner by contacting the involved instructor or staff member. For example, an issue with a course grade should be directed to the course instructor first, before a formal grade appeal is requested.

Snead State has a complaint/grievance process that you are encouraged to utilize if you have a complaint that cannot be resolved informally. Details can be found on our Complaints/Grievances page.

If, after exhausting all available institutional processes, a student’s complaint remains unresolved, the student may appeal to the Alabama Community College System (ACCS). Details on this process can be found in the ACCS Student Complaint Process.

Snead State is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). SACSCOC’s complaint procedures are for the purpose of addressing any significant noncompliance with SACSCOC’s standards, policies, or procedures, the procedures are not intended to be used to involve SACSCOC in disputes between individuals and member institutions, or cause SACSCOC to interpose itself as a reviewing authority in individual matters of admission, grades, granting or transferability of credits, application of academic policies, fees or other financial matters, disciplinary matters or other contractual rights and obligations. Complete the Commission’s Complaint Form and send two print copies to the President, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097. (To access the Commission’s complaint policy, procedures, and the Complaint Form, please see Complaint Procedures Against the Commission or Its Accredited Institutions.)

Students may also contact the governing body within the state in which they reside.

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Does Snead State offer online degree programs that lead to professional licensure?

Snead State Community College does not offer any online degree programs that lead to initial licensure. Clinical placements requirements within online programs do not lead to licensure. Students participating in clinical placements should contact their programs to ensure that preceptors have the appropriate licenses in the state in which the student will be placed.

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What is the SARA-Alabama Student Complaint Process?

Snead State Community College is a member of the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA). Complaints from students in other SARA states – if not resolved via the College’s internal complaint process – should be filed with the Alabama SARA Portal Agency, not with the agency in the student’s state of residence. You can find the Alabama Sara Portal Agency’s website here.

Additional information about the SARA Student Complaints process can be found here.