Chattahoochee Tech starts summer classes Monday -- and more are online taking them

Media release: More students are taking classes at Chattahoochee Technical College this summer without ever setting foot on one of the college's eight campuses. For the first time ever, the number of online students has surpassed enrollment at any one of the traditional campuses.

"It is a sign of the times that we see more students looking toward the flexibility and convenience of online classes," said Chattahoochee Technical College Vice President of Academic Affairs Dr. Trina Boteler. "Most of the online students are adults who prefer not to attend a traditional class setting because they're often juggling family and work responsibilities."

Despite the increasing popularity of online classes, distance learning has not replaced the traditional classroom at Chattahoochee Technical College. Approximately 1,374 are signed up to take only online classes this summer, while the other 1,843 are taking a mixture of online, hybrid and traditional classes. Chattahoochee Technical College offers a growing number of classes online. However, none of its more than 75 associate degree, diploma or technical certificate of credit programs is completely offered online at this time.

"Another reason online enrollment may be growing is that the difference between traditional and online classes is blurring," said Boteler. "It's not unusual now for traditional classes to post syllabi and homework assignments online or to have class discussions in group forums."

This summer term's initial enrollment of 7,931 shows an increase from the abbreviated summer term of 2011 with 29 percent more students enrolled as of the first day of classes. Approximately 1,375 students were new to the college, having never taken a class at Chattahoochee Technical College before this term.

A new program was also added to the roster this semester with the addition of Logistics and Supply Chain Management at the Marietta Campus. The program offers unique opportunities for students with a first of its kind Logistics and Supply Chain Management curriculum at this level in Metro Atlanta. Several other new programs will be starting up this fall. 　

Campus enrollment for the first day of classes stands at:

Appalachian Campus	374
Austell Campus	105
Canton Campus	521
Marietta Campus	3,101
Mountain View Campus	326
North Metro Campus	1,911
Online Course	3,217
Paulding Campus	679
Woodstock Campus	257

For more information on Chattahoochee Technical College, visit www.ChattahoocheeTech.edu or call 770-528-4545.