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Volume 3 Issue 10December 2000

CVC Catalog Grows To Over 3,100 Courses

CVC Professional Development Center

They visit in the middle of the night or as the sun shines brightly. They search from all corners of the world – at any time. They sea rch for classes by name or location. They search in the CVC Catalog because they always know the classes listed are from an accredited institution, whether public or private, located in the state of California.

Yes, visitors have discovered California Virtual Campus’ (CVC) best kept secret. Courses are listed from 86 California Community Colleges, 15 California State Universities, 7 University of California campuses, and 11 private institutions. Courses include those offered via the Internet (online), CD ROM, TV, and audio or videotapes. So, how does this catalog work, you may ask yourself?

Accredited colleges in the state of California are invited to place any distance education courses they have in the CVC catalog. A prospective student may search the database by course description or instructor name and further narrow the search by selecting the type of college they’d like to attend, and the type of course delivery system they’d like to use.

Joseph Georges, Director of the CVC Professional Development Center, states, “To our knowledge, California is the only state whose community colleges host an online distance education catalog serving all segments of higher education, both public and private. We are pleased that during our first year in operation, we averaged approximately 12,000 visitors per month.” The catalog is intended as a portal to the courses and programs listed. The California Virtual Campus does not grant degrees or certificates, but does host the Catalog as a service.

One of the features expected to see an increase in use is the ‘Subscribe’ feature offered in the Catalog. By registering an email address, a visitor will soon be notified when a new course has been posted that fits their area of interest. Other improvements are also in the works. CVC web database and Catalog designer, Tony Sotos, says, “As we improve the database structure of our website, visitors will see a dramatic speed increase and an ability to add and modify information more easily.”

In late December, a new financial aid section was added to the site. The information there will focus on the needs of distance learning students.

Reprinted with permission from California Virtual Campus Professional Development Center Newsletter
http://pdc.cvc.edu