Online & Hybrid Education; Training Jacksonville's Future Leaders

April Osmul is a stay at home mom. It’s a job she says keeps her very busy. Still, this 33-year-old also wants to launch a career in dental hygiene.

“It’s just something I’ve always wanted to do,” said Osmul.

However, raising three young kids in a home 90 minutes outside of Jacksonville makes it impossible for April to commute to Florida State College.

“I really don’t have a babysitter,” said Osmul.

21-year old Nikki Walker doesn’t need a babysitter, but like April, she can’t quit her day job to get her degree and fulfill her ambitions.

“I’ll be going from paralegal to lawyer to judge to Supreme Court,” said Walker.

April and Nikki are among the rapidly growing number of students earning their degrees online from Florida State College. For many, it’s the only way to juggle school, work and family responsibilities.

“I stay here in the kitchen so I can watch the kids and keep an eye on them, but I am still doing my homework,” said Walker.

“I go home at night and do homework. Sometimes I don’t get to bed until 2,” said Walker.

The flexibility is critical for these students, but what truly separates Florida State College’s online program from the competition is the experience: the student-support systems, the quality of the courses and the teaching styles. All instructors—even veteran professors—are trained on how to effectively teach in this high tech format.

“You know your discipline. Now it’s time to make sure you can communicate with students in such a way as to create a very powerful, engaging, compelling learning environment for them,” said Don Green, Executive Vice President of Instruction and Student Services.

“We have really perfected this to a science,” said Dr. Julie Giuliani, Executive Dean, Virtual College, Florida State College.

Doctor Julie Giuliani—better known as Doctor G—embraces the state of the art technology, but says student success still comes down to:

“The personal connection that students have with the instructor, that really is the key,” said Dr. G.

Dr. G spends a lot of her time on the phone with her students in real time, through voice mail, email and online discussions.

“I’ve never met her, but she’s amazing online, she’s amazing,” said April.

So are the outcomes. A study recently released by the U.S. Department of Education found that students learn more effectively online. But they do even better when they also have face-to-face time with teachers and fellow students. That is called hybrid instruction—and it’s what Vice President Don Green says Florida State College does best.

“It’s a real coordinated educational experience so the things that are most important face to face have to do specifically with the kinds of things you’re doing online,” said Dr. Green.

While hybrid teaching may be new to you, Florida State College has been developing hybrid courses since 2000.

“We have faculty who come together and really think deeply about how to get the best student outcomes,” says Green.

That's important because hybrid is becoming more popular each semester.
To meet the demand, the college now offers 205 different courses in a variety of fields including accounting, education, natural sciences and information technology.

“All of my classes this semester are hybrid with the exception on one completely online class,” said Professor Amani Francis.

Veteran Professor Amani Francis says she prefers hybrid because it incorporates the best of all teaching methods.

“The statistics show—at least for my classes—that those students did far better with the technological components added,” said Prof. Francis.

Whether it’s hybrid or strictly online learning, these students get the technological training they need to perform in the current business environment.

“We know from business that an increasing amount of data and training and service is provided over the Internet and through technology. So somebody who proves they can master that and actually navigate a lot of technology is going to have a leg up in the workplace,” said Candace Moody, WorkSource.

Students are also developing critical non-technical career-making skills.

“You definitely have to have good time management. Even though you’re at home, you still have to have to schedule study time, you still have to be serious about your work,” said Osmul.

If you’re an online student, or an employer of our online graduates, give us your feedback!