Why Hartnell College should expand its online offerings:

Hartnell College’s service area spans over 1,000 square miles within the Salinas Valley, portions of which are more than two hours away from the main campus. The college enrolls a largely underrepresented population of 17,000 students (Fall, 2017) who are 77% Hispanic, and 59% Latinx. More than 41% of students are non-native English speakers, and 56% are first-generation students (CCCCO MIS Data, 2017). Nearly 90% are low-income students, receiving some form of financial aid (Financial Aid Office, 2017). Many of the local residents are unemployed or underemployed and face significant barriers to advancing through education. Education attainment is even lower as you move away from the city and into the Salinas Valley.

Over the past six years, Hartnell has achieved a 127% increase in degree completion, 231% in certificate completion, and 63% in transfer to four-year institutions, with just a 1.6% increase in full-time equivalent students (FTES), which now stands at about 7,500. Hartnell has twice been named by Diverse Issues in Higher Education as a “Top 100 Producer of Associate Degrees for Minority Students.” In 2015-2016, the College had the ninth-highest percentage (89%) of minority student graduates among more than 1,400 community colleges in the US.

California Community College Distance Education Report Data

Enrollment at Hartnell increased from 6,854 to a projected 7,360 FTES between 2013-14 and 2018-19, with the highest headcount in Fall 2018 at 12,500 students. Distance Education enrollments during these years stayed around 10% of that college-wide, with the highest enrollment at 10.57% in 2017-18. While Hartnell serves only 10.57% of its students via Distance Education, The California Community College Chancellor’s Office (CCCCO) report that 28% of students statewide are served via online offerings (CCCCO Distance Education report, 2019). While enrollment is growing in distance education classes statewide, face-to-face enrollment has been declining.

This underscores the need for more Distance Education offerings at Hartnell College, growing access for the very students who most need it. To address this core need, both students and faculty will need access to a number of support tools. For example, the faculty will need appropriate tools (e.g.; Proctorio or other such learning integrity solutions) and students would need access the online technologies and support. For example, students could have access to counselors via tools like Cranium Café and tutorial support through tools like NetTutors and Quest (Smarter measures). English Language Learners could get support with tools like Pronto, DEEPL, Scribens, or other such applications.

Ninety percent of Hartnell students are economically disadvantaged and a poll of CTE faculty indicated that 87% of students did not purchase or access the textbooks for their classes. To further educational access and success, it would behoove the college to foster the adoption of more Zero Textbooks Cost for their courses or the use other Open Education resources. Lastly, to ensure online courses provide a quality learning experience, we recommend a broad use of vetting rubrics such as that developed by @ONE or by the Peralta Community College District. Processes such as the Peer Online Course Review (POCR) provides systematic means by which faculty can mentor on another in the best practices for online education.

Expanding access to high-quality online courses takes a comprehensive approach, incorporating effective practices and technology. When done well, distance education provides a powerful vehicle for student learners, changing lives one student at a time.