Director's Message

Welcome to those students who are taking their first online course with us.  Additionally, we’d like to welcome back our returning students.

Online learning continues to be invaluable to the students, faculty, colleges  and to the community.  Online learning allows the individual the opportunity to take courses and obtain degrees from the comfort of their homes and from any location in the world.  It also affords non-traditional, working students, the opportunity to obtain training which they might not have been able to obtain otherwise.  These students, in many instances, are single parents who cannot afford the luxury of attending classes on

campus. GVTC is proud to be a part of this “new era” where obtaining an education is becoming possible for every segment of our population.

We continue to enroll large numbers each quarter in our online courses.  We recently completed registration for the winter quarter 2008 where almost nine-hundred (900) persons enrolled in online courses through GVTC.   We anticipate that this number will increase for spring quarter 2008. Back to top

Tom Choate currently lives and works in Kosovo (a region of Serbia).  Tom is Deputy Director of Forensics and Team Leader in the Financial Crimes Unit for Civilian Police International.  He has taken online courses before and is familiar with the process because he took online courses to become a certified Fraud Examiner (CFA).  He says, “mM online classes from Southwest Georgia Technical College have been great; in fact; everything at SWGTC has been a good experience.  Mr. Doug Robinson has been very helpful with the class schedule and selection.”

Tom indicated that he chose SWGTC because his mother-in-law, Ellen Terrell, is employed by the college and has always spoken highly of the

college’s programs of study.

Taking courses online has afforded Tom the opportunity to “work at his own pace.”  He indicated that a traditional classroom setting would not work for him because he works seven days per week, and his classes offer him a diversion from the intensity of the job and also gives him something else to concentrate on since he’s so far from home.

GVTC salutes Tom Choate, our online student in Kosovo. Back to top

The Gerontology program at Southwest offered on line at Southwest Georgia Technical Colleges are the following:

• Understanding the Client
•  Aging Service Environment
•  Behavioral Aspects of Aging

The three courses provide an introduction to the basic knowledge and skills needed to obtain employment as an entry level health care worker in the work environment associated with the aging population.

The classes provide information on the normal aging process, behavioral issues associated with normal growth in development, and current issues in Medicare and Medicaid. The job opportunities are endless in this career. Students can work in nursing homes, assisted living facilities, Alzheimer’s Units, and community centers.   It is projected that the need for gerontology students will increase.   The need was identified by some of the agencies in the SWGTC’s community, and some of these providers of services for the elderly are offering sign-on bonuses to graduates of the Gerontology Program. Back to top

Carlton Crumidy

Carlton Crumidy did not have an opportunity to complete the Gerontology Program online; however, he did enroll in the program and attended classes on campus.  He initially chose to take courses on line to avoid a conflict with his work schedule and to work at his own pace.  Carlton said he chose the Gerontology Program because he loves working with the elderly population.  Carlton currently takes care of his grandfather and mother-in-law.

Carlton Crumidy is currently working on an Associate Degree and has dreams of opening his own adult day care center in the Thomasville, Georgia , vicinity. Hats Off to Carlton from GVTC. Back to top

Tamara Bryant’s education and work experience prepared her  to teach in the Nursing Program at SWGTC.  She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Brenau Women’s College in 1988 and her Certification in Gerontology from Swainsboro Technical College in 2007. She is currently enrolled, on line in the Master of Nursing degree program at Walden University.

Tamara has been a staff member at Southwest Georgia Tech since 1994 and implements online courses in Gerontology at that college.   Her work experience is not limited to South Georgia; she has worked at the Children’s Clinical Group in Norcross, Georgia and the Dunwoody Medical Center in Dunwoody, Georgia.

Tamara is dedicated is to her community and her field.  She is a member of numerous organizations and received the Leadership in Gerontology Award in 2007. Back to top

Carla Barrow is the former Online Coordinator for GVTC at Southwest Georgia Technical College.  Carla received a Bachelor of Business Administration/Management degree in 1991 and a Master of Education/Instructional Technology in 2003 from Valdosta State University.  She was the GVTC Online Coordinator from 2002 to 2007.   Prior to becoming the Online Coordinator, Carla was employed by SWGTC as a Marketing Assistant/Public Relations Specialist.

When Carla was the GVTC Online Coordinator at SWGTC, her typical day was one in which she encouraged instructors to offer courses online and

worked with them to plan courses for upcoming quarters.  She kept abreast of the latest technology and tools used for instructional delivery as well as scheduled staff development training for instructors.  Carla worked with a retention committee and with online instructors to improve retention in online classes. 

Hobbies and interests for Carla are working with the 4 & 5 year-old Mission Friends’ class at her church. Carla and her husband Scott have an eight-year-old daughter, Elizabeth.  The family lives in Thomasville, Georgia. Back to top

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• Student.com

Getting the Most out of Your Online Learning Experience

"You may be wondering what to expect from a web-based class. Online classes are not all that different from regular classes. You'll have an instructor and classmates, and will interact with them during the semester. You'll have homework and participate in class activities. In some ways, the experience will seem very familiar to you."

Online classes are different from regular classes in some important ways:

1. You don't have to drive to campus.
2. Communication with your instructor and other students will take place online, not in person.
3. Without an instructor reminding you what is due in class each week, you'll have more responsibility for your own learning.
4. You will need basic computing skills and convenient access to the Internet.

"The skills you need most to be a successful online learner are the same ones you use in any class: preparation, organization and self-discipline. The difference is in how you apply them."

From Online Learning - How to Get the Most Out of Your Online Learning Experience, San Diego State University  

The GVTC Website

Visit the GVTC website ’s Learner Support Center for invaluable information for all technical college students.  When visiting the Learner Support Center, don’t forget to click on the Life Resources link for great test taking tips, memory and reading skills exercise, study skills and much, much more.
Enjoy!

“ Learn everything you can, anytime you can, from anyone you can - there will always come a time when you will be grateful you did.”    Sarah Caldwell