Online Programs

OCtech’s Policy 3.012: Distance Education and Procedure 3.012.01: Distance Education require that each distance education course include  at least one proctored assignment/examination per semester to verify student identity.  Students may use either the online proctoring product (Honor Lock) provided by the College, or they may use the Satellite Testing Center (in Building K) for face-to-face classroom testing.

There is no additional fee for proctoring, but students must have access to a computer which meets the technology requirements found on the Honor Lock website.

Enrollment
Students can be enrolled in online courses, as well as traditional on-campus courses in the same semester.

GPA
To ensure a successful online experience, OCtech students should maintain a 2.0 GPA to continue taking online courses. However, if a student has failed a course either online or face-to-face, they cannot retake that course online even if they maintain a 2.0 GPA except under extenuating circumstances (i.e. the course is only offered online). Please see your advisor if you have questions or contact the Director of Teaching, Learning and Assessment at 803.535.1410 or waringw@octech.edu.

Online Course Attendance Policy
Students are expected to engage in the online course at least one to two times per week. “Engagement” is defined as both signing in and completing assigned work. If a student signs into the course but does not complete any assigned work, the student will be in danger of being removed from the course. Record-keeping for attendance purposes will begin on the first day the class meets. Attendance for online courses is taken using Course Access in the Desire to Learn(D2L) Class Progress tool and by the student completing required work.

If a student must be out of the online course for a week or longer, it is the student’s responsibility to notify the instructor as quickly as possible of the absence. Students are responsible for making up all work missed as a result of the absence, including examinations. If excessive absences are taken, the student may be administratively withdrawn with a grade of “W”, “WP”, or “WF” depending on the student’s last date of attendance. Extenuating circumstances may be taken into consideration by the instructor.

Testing
In most cases, course assessments – including quizzes and tests – are done online. Should an instructor feel the need to use a proctor, the student will have the option of testing at home using Honorlock or in the OCtech Testing Center. The instructor will provide students with directions on how to access the proctored quizzes and tests. The following policy applies to online quizzes and tests:

• All academic honesty/dishonesty policies published in the college catalog apply to online coursework.
• Quizzes/tests are hosted through the College’s Learning Management System, which students may access only through their unique passwords.
• Quizzes/tests may be password protected. The instructor will set the password prior to opening the quiz/test. The instructor will share this password with students through the LMS email just prior to opening the quiz/test.
• Quizzes/tests may have a set time limit.
• When possible, questions on the quizzes/test will appear one at a time.
• Each distance education course is required to include at least one proctored assignment/examination/project per semester to verify student identity. Students may use either the Testing Center or Honorlock.

Privacy Notice
The students’ right to privacy and confidentiality of student academic records is based on the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) regulations. These regulations ensure students’ rights to review their academic records, limitations of their rights and release of information to third parties. Specific measures to ensure student privacy in online courses include the following:

• Student access to courses in the learning management system (D2L) is password protected. All students are issued unique, secure logins and passwords at the time of their admission. At first use, issued passwords must be reset. Passwords must be reset by the student every 180 days to ensure continued integrity.
• Faculty use their secure Self-Service account to submit grades and students use it to view their grades. Security features linked to the password provide protection. Faculty can only submit grades for their courses and students can only view their personal grades.

Disability Services
Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College complies fully with section 504 of the 1973 Vocational Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disability Act. Students who have a documented learning disability or a documented disability that interferes with cognitive performance and who require special accommodations should also contact the Coordinator for Students with Disabilities. Students must reveal their documented disability and the need for special accommodations. For more information, contact Tracy Dibble, Director of Counseling, the Counseling Center and Services for Students with Disabilities, at 803.535.1225 or dibblet@octech.edu.

Students need to have access to a properly functioning computer throughout the semester with appropriate software, including browser use of Chrome or Firefox in order to access the Learning Management System (D2L).  For more information on technology requirements, please visit: Technology Requirements

• OCtech is an approved NC-SARA member.
• NC-SARA was established to develop and implement an effective and efficient reciprocal state-level authorization process for post-secondary distance education. Its mission is to provide broad access to post-secondary education opportunities to students across the country, to increase the quality and value of higher learning credentials earned via distance education, and to assure students are well served in a rapidly changing education landscape.

Click here for more information about NC-SARA.

OCtech offers distance learning courses to individuals who desire alternative instructional delivery services. All student support services, including but not limited to, counseling, advising, assessment, career planning, tutoring, and financial aid are available and accessible to students enrolled in Internet courses at the College.

All students including on-campus, off-campus, and distance education students have equitable access to all Library resources and services.  Library resources are accessible to students both on and off campus, through the OCtech Library’s webpage and D2L.

All of these services are covered in more detail in the OCtech Catalog.  For more information, please contact Student Services.