Richmond Community College is expanding course offerings this fall by running Individual Income Taxes, Cultural Anthropology, and Sociology of the Family in a format known as distance learning.

“Basically, it’s very similar to a traditional classroom setting, but you’re watching your instructor on a large monitor and conversing over microphones set throughout the classroom," said RCC Director of Distance Learning and Instructional Technologies Brian Lisk.

Lisk said television cameras in the classroom allow the instructor to see all of the students at any community college participating in the class.

Classes meet on a regular schedule like any other class; the only difference is your instructors will be from Surry and Haywood Community Colleges, Lisk said

Of the 58 community colleges in the system, 57 are delivering courses in the distance learning format and the last college is purchasing equipment to get onboard as soon as possible.

“It provides great savings to the colleges and convenience to students," Lisk said. Most curriculum programs are laid out with specific courses offered each semester. Since many students attend part-time, they can get out of sequence. The income tax and sociology courses are not offered by RCC this semester and the anthropology course has not been offered in several years.

"This format allows students to get back on track and take a full course load,” said Lisk.

Vice-President for Instruction Johnnie Simpson says RCC can offer the courses to as few as three students because a qualified instructor working at another college is offering it as part of his or her course load.

It eliminates requiring a specific number of students be enrolled to offer the course. The salary savings are evident and the colleges split the funding generated by student attendance. She noted UNCP has offered courses in this format on RCC’s campus for nearly a decade with positive results.

Lisk sees a big plus in the delivery system when RCC opens the Honeycutt Center in Laurinburg. That facility will be equipped with a similar classroom that would allow an instructor in Hamlet to teach those students in Laurinburg or vice versa during the week by providing all students one-on-one contact on a regular basis.

He has taught for nearly a decade and is teaching political science courses for RCC. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of South Carolina and his master’s degree from Villanova University.