In response to growing demand from commuting and part-time students, WVU Tech this fall will launch two new online clusters of upper-division courses, the first in organizational management and the second in marketing.

“Students in our programs, who by the way, happen to hail from communities all across Southern West Virginia, couldn’t be more clear in voicing their needs,” said Dr. Alan Tillquist, whose management department is leading this effort.

“With virtually all of them juggling multiple career, family, and community responsibilities,” Tillquist continued, “our students have very little time left over at the end of their days. Rather than spend this rare and valuable spare time driving to and from and sitting in classrooms for prescribed time slots one or more evenings a week, they want to apply this time to the learning process. They have stated this message to us again and again, loud and clear, regardless of academic major, regardless of home community, and regardless of field of employment.”

Tillquist said the new courses will allow students the much requested opportunity to acquire vital academic experiences and competencies at times and places most convenient to them.

“They will also realize the added bonus of being able to spend fuel money for commuting for other more critical needs,” he said.

The six courses comprising the organizational management cluster include Managing Individuals and Teams; Information Systems and Technology; Principles of Marketing; The Individual and the Organization; Personnel Management; and Global Marketing.

The six courses comprising the marketing cluster include Principles of Marketing; Leadership in Business; Consumer Behavior; Promotion Management; Sales Management; and Global Marketing.

Because these new online course clusters satisfy requirements for focused concentrations, called “areas of emphasis,” that are required in the Regents' Bachelor of Arts (RBA) degree program, they are perfect options for this program, according to Tillquist.

“Because the RBA allows both credit for work experience and course choices that reflect unique needs of the individual student, this is the program of choice for most commuter and part-time students,” he added.

He said the new online course clusters will also serve as upper-division electives for most baccalaureate degree programs, whether those of WVU Tech or other colleges, in-state and out-of-state alike.

“Since all WVU Tech academic programs are fully accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, assuming the approval of their advisors, students at any and all other colleges may transfer one or both clusters of courses into their chosen degree programs,” Tillquist said.

Courses will be delivered sequentially over eight-week time frames, so that students who take courses at the rate at which they are offered will be able to complete a cluster within one year, according to Tillquist.

Details about content of courses, scheduling, and the RBA degree program are available on the WVU Tech Web page, www. wvutech.edu.

— E-mail: fpace@register-herald.com