Panola College receives
excellent commendations in report

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board awarded two excellent ratings to the Panola College Distance Education program in a recent evaluation.  Panola College was commended for providing timely and appropriate interaction between students and faculty, and among students.  The program was also commended for having appropriate evaluation procedures in place to evaluate faculty involved in the distance education program.

Ann Morris, Associate Dean of Distance Education, stated, “According to all research, interaction is the key to retaining online students in the virtual classroom.  Our Virtual Student Community (VSC) takes the interaction to the next level.  It allows both on-campus and distance students to interact socially online.  Through the VSC students can email one another, chat, view a student activities calendar, respond to polls, and much more.  We want to provide multiple ways for students and faculty to interact with one another in distance education so students feel an emotional and social connection to their classes and to the Panola College campus.  I’m pleased that the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board has recognized this and our efforts to continuously evaluate and improve our program.”

The distance learning program at Panola College has experienced tremendous growth since 1999. Formal and informal evaluations conducted by the Office of Distance Education solicit input from students about their courses. Last year, distance learning enrollment exceeded 3,000, and 82% of students surveyed gave an overall rating of their distance learning courses as excellent or above average.  

Currently the college offers over 90 online courses and four online degrees: General Business, Office Technology, Associate Degree Nursing, and Associate of Arts in Teaching

“Ann Morris is the key to our success in providing an excellent learning experience for students in our distance education classes.  She works diligently to promote excellence in all areas of distance learning.  We are very proud of what she and her division have accomplished during the years of rapidly changing technology that included innovative changes in the ways classes are offered to students,” said Dr. Lillian Cook, VP and Dean of Instruction.

The college’s distance program is evaluated every five years by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.