A recent Southwestern College reorganization that laid off five people has left many campus employees wondering what could be next.
Five areas have been identified for future review, according to the administration's cover letter attached to the April reorganization. They are Computer Systems and Services, department chairs, Office Support Services and Marketing, Communications, Community and Governmental Relations.
Online Learning is one of the fastest growing areas on campus. It gives students a way to take classes through the Internet. The program has become popular at SWC, said the department's only full-time employee, Online Instructional Support Specialist Larry Lambert.
Online course enrollment has grown by more than 1,000 percent in the past three years, said Lambert, but the department is "dangerously understaffed." Lambert and Todd Williamson, the online learning support assistant, who is limited to 175 work days per year, oversee the 350 online courses offered.
Lambert said most colleges use six to 10 people to run online offerings. The SWC program began in 2001, and now there are more than 12,000 active users.
Not only has the program grown at an astronomical rate, but it is also becoming well-known as a system that helps students and professors in traditional classes interact online through an interface called Blackboard. Lambert said his small department serves 80 percent of the courses offered on campus, a total of about 2,500 courses.
"Our biggest deal here above all is customer service," said Lambert.
Lambert has been an outspoken advocate at the importance of students integrating technology into their education, using it "as a vehicle for good learning" and not as a "substitute."
He said students are taking full advantage of the versatility of the program, and interweaving its uses with social Web sites like Facebook and Twitter. According to an annual survey conducted by the department, 80 percent of students polled are satisfied with Blackboard and its functionality.
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