Online Learning

North Georgia Technical College offers a number of online courses to its students. Online courses provide students with course content and instruction while allowing students to overcome the barriers of time and geography.

The goal of distance education and online studies at North Georgia Technical College is to provide our students the opportunity to access quality instruction anytime, anywhere. Such access facilitates a barrier-free delivery of instruction through technology. NGTC offers a quality technology-based learning environment that is not bound by traditional time and space limitations.

North Georgia Technical College delivers courses and programs through Georgia Virtual Technical Connection (GVTC), an innovation of the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG).

Options for Online Learning

Online

Online courses can be accessed at any time using devices with internet connectivity. Some online courses may require students to come to an NGTC campus to complete one or more proctored exams as directed by the instructor. Keep in mind, students who take online courses need strong study skills, time management skills, reading comprehension skills, and Internet access to be successful. Online students interact with the instructor and other students by using Blackboard, NGTC’s online learning environment. Students must demonstrate readiness before registering for an online class.

Take the Online Readiness Survey

Virtual Classroom

A course with the Virtual Classroom Option will meet on at least one of NGTC’s campuses (possibly more) but will also allow those students that would like to participate in the class from home or a location of their choice to do so. Students would still be required to attend during the scheduled meeting time but would not be required to be on campus in a classroom.

Hybrid

As the name suggests, hybrid courses are taught partially online and partially in the classroom of the designated campus.

Web-Enhanced

Traditional classroom courses that also require the use of the Internet are called web-enhanced. Students may use the Internet to interact with one another and the instructor, conduct research, complete/submit assignments, and/or to take exams.

Access to an online course will be available on the first scheduled day of class and students must log in to Blackboard and access all online courses on the first day. Though online courses may be accessed at any time, students are still required to check in on a regular basis. The course syllabus will contain detailed information about attendance requirements and a timeline of assignments for that class.

Requirements

Students who take online courses need a computer with Internet access. Good study habits and reading comprehension skills are also necessary to be successful in the courses. Online students need to expect to commit a minimum of 15 hours per week for each online course. Skills specific to individual courses may be required; for example, proficiency with a word processing package may be needed for an online course.

There are also specific computer hardware and software requirements associated with online education at North Georgia Technical College. You are responsible for obtaining and installing any supplemental software required for your course. Students who need laptop computers may contact the NGTC Foundation for potential assistance.

Students participating in a fully online course must complete a proctored event. Students will need to use a webcam, microphone, and a computer in order to complete their proctored event in fully online courses. Please review the course syllabus and communication from your instructor for detailed information. Additionally, some courses will require the lockdown browser, ProctorU. The ProctorU test taker tips for Blackboard can demonstrate how this process works. Students are advised to visit the ProctorU Auto Resource Center and review the videos and system requirements there.