Academic Affairs

Learning Options

Formats

Salem Community College has four terms -- fall, spring, summer I and summer II -- in which students can earn credits in a variety of formats. The fall and spring terms are 15 weeks long. Alternative formats offer flexibility in the scheduling of a course, in the method used to convey the instructional material to students and in the testing of their comprehension of the material.

Weekend Sessions - courses are offered on Saturdays either in an accelerated session format or in a traditional semester format.

Accelerated Sessions - courses are offered in 7 weeks. Offerings may vary by semester.

Summer Sessions - The College offers summer courses to allow students to supplement their course work outside of the traditional fall and spring semesters. The summer sessions provide an excellent opportunity for students to enhance their credit earnings and to accelerate degree completion. Each summer session is 5 weeks long. At times, due to the nature of a course, a special section can be offered that will span both summer sessions and will be 10 weeks in length.

Various formats allow the College to increase its course offerings and expand access to courses as well as offering students more options and flexibility in selecting classes and achieving goals. Alternative sessions allow students to take classes either in the evenings, during the day, on the weekends, or in accelerated formats.

Distance Learning

Online Courses

For students who have difficulty attending traditional, classroom-based courses, the College offers several online courses each semester. Because these courses are taught entirely on the Web, without set meeting times, students must be motivated and self-disciplined to be successful. Access to a computer with Internet access also is required.

Students register for online courses in the same way they would register for any other SCC course. The section number for all online courses is 12.

Hybrid Courses

In hybrid courses, some classroom-based instruction is replaced with Web-based instruction which can be done online. To participate in hybrid courses, students must have access to a computer with an Internet connection. The section number for all hybrid courses is CT.

Independent Study

This method of instruction is to be used for rare or extenuating circumstances when the student does not have the opportunity to earn credit for the required course in another semester.

The request will be considered when the student is graduating after the next semester and:

  • needs a course that is not offered, or
  • the required course is offered but on a day and at a time that the student cannot attend.

An independent study requires an agreement between an instructor and a student, whereby the student agrees to achieve the objectives of a specific course primarily through his or her own activities apart from a regular schedule of class meetings.

Independent study forms are available in Academic Affairs. After completing the form, the student must submit it to the Associate Dean or Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs for approval. If the request is approved and a faculty member is available, an Academic Affairs administrator will contact the student, who must then complete an independent study contract form with the instructor and a registration approval permit.