Facilitating Faculty Success in an Online Campus

Session Description

The TCC Connect Campus of Tarrant County College is the only virtual campus built from the ground up in Texas. Established in 2014 to widen the doors to education, the campus caters to non-traditional students. Through 42 programs, 295 courses, and seven different term lengths, 30,000 students enroll in online, accelerated, weekend college, and dual credit offerings every semester. The faculty teaching at this campus possesses the highest set of credentials needed to teach successfully in the online classroom. Supported by a group of Instructional Designers, eFaculty Coaches, and a Student Affairs team, the campus is a model of innovation, agility, and forward-thinking that responds to the needs of the student by reducing time to degree and the cost of education. The student population we serve expects flexibility and convenience. The campus boasts an impressive 88% success rate for short terms and 76% success rates for long terms (semesters).

The campus is celebrating its ten years in 2024, and it has received several accolades at the regional and national arenas, including the recognition of the Top Online College in early 2020. This session will discuss the journey of establishing an online campus, the strategies to implement faculty professional development, innovative procedures, and policies. The author will share approaches to infuse them into your practice or operation to support students' learning online, ranging from an Online Instructor Certification, eFaculty Coaches, Learning Communities, Multiple Entry/Exit Terms, and Schedule Building to reduce time to degree. The author will discuss using data for coaching, guidance, and improving student and faculty outcomes.

Presenter(s)

Carlos Morales
Tarrant County College – TCC Connect Campus
Fort Worth, Texas, USA

Carlos Morales, Ph.D., is President of TCC Connect Campus, the online campus of Tarrant County College. It is the largest and fastest-growing of the six campuses, serving more than 30,000 students. Dr. Carlos Morales champions online education success through innovative and evidence-based academic programs and models.

Carlos Morales, Ph.D., is not just the President of TCC Connect Campus, but a dedicated instructional technology scholar. He is the author of internationally peer-reviewed academic articles and book chapters and has conducted over 100 invited and refereed conference presentations. Dr. Morales is an active peer reviewer on editorial boards in the United States, Puerto Rico, Latin America, and the European Union. His external leadership positions include Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, and board member at local, regional, and national organizations.

His experience spans 30 years as a faculty member of Biology, Science Education, Educational Technology, and Instructional Design in the classroom and online. Before moving into full-time university administration, Dr. Morales taught graduate students curriculum studies, instructional design, educational leadership, and research. He has held progressive administrative roles as Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Executive Director of Academic Technology, and Instructional Designer.

Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Dr. Morales is a 2009 Frye Leadership Institute Fellow and a 2012 MLI Fellow with AASCU; Dr. Morales graduated from the Inter American University of Puerto Rico with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in biology and science education. He earned his doctorate in Instructional Design for Online Learning from Capella University.