DISTANCE EDUCATION GENERAL INFORMATION
J.F. Drake State Community and Technical Colleges offers a selection of courses taught through distance education. Distance education focuses on utilizing technology and teaching methods to provide instruction to students outside the regular classroom and thereby increase flexibility and scheduling options.
There are two types of distance learning courses offered:
- Hybrid Courses: Hybrid courses a combination of in-person and online instruction. While Hybrid courses will have days, times, and locations listed on the course schedule, no more than 50% of instruction should be in-person. Hybrid courses are clearly identified in the course schedule.
- Online Courses: An online course is one in which 100% of instruction takes place online through a learning management system. Online classes are clearly identified in the course schedule.
Depending on the course and/or program, there are two formats in which instruction can be delivered in distance education courses:
- Asynchronous Instruction: Asynchronous online instruction allows students to access course materials, complete assignments, and engage in learning activities on their own schedule without real-time interaction with the instructor or classmates.
- Synchronous Instruction: Synchronous online instruction involves real-time, interactive learning experiences where students and instructors meet virtually at scheduled times using tools like video conferencing or live chat.
All distance education courses require a reliable and current computer with high-speed internet access. A list of minimum technical requirements can be found by visiting the Basic Technology Requirements section. Additionally, distance education courses require computer literacy and reading comprehension skills, as well as self-discipline and motivation. Students may register for distance education courses in the same way they register for traditional courses and there are no additional tuition costs associated with distance education courses.
If you are experiencing technical difficulties related to distance education courses, please submit an IT Help Desk ticket at helpdesk@drakestate.edu.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION RELATED TO ONLINE COURSES: Per SACSCOC and Federal Department of Education requirements, online exam proctoring software are used to verify the identity of students participating in online courses. Also, per Federal requirements, attendance is measured by “active participation” in the course. Active participation is defined as completing an attendance verification activity (as identified by the instructor) for each online course in which the student is enrolled. Simply contacting the instructor via telephone or email or just accessing the course will not count as attendance to satisfy requirements of federal financial aid.
TUITION AND FEES
Drake State is committed to making education accessible and affordable for all of our students. We feel that it is important that students are not charged additional tuition or fees for choosing to enroll in online or hybrid courses. This policy aligns with our mission to provide flexible, high-quality educational options to meet diverse learning needs.
STUDENT IDENTIFICATION NUMBERS
The College assigns generated student identification numbers (A numbers), instead of Social Security numbers, as a means of protecting students from identity theft. These unique numbers are used to help prevent unauthorized access to student records. Social Security numbers are only accessible to administrative departments that are required to use them for state and federal reporting. All students are issued ID cards each academic year of enrollment. Students are encouraged to carry their ID card at all times. There is a $5.00 fee for replacement cards.
ATTENDANCE AGREEMENT VERIFICATION
All students are required to complete the Attendance Agreement Verification for every course they are enrolled in each semester. This verification confirms your participation and is a necessary step to maintain your enrollment status in each class. Failure to complete the verification by the deadline may result in being dropped from the course.
PROCTORED EXAMS - HONORLOCK
All distance education classes will require at least one proctored exam. Honorlock is a licensed product within Canvas to provide this service. The use of Honorlock helps to ensure the student taking the exam and completing coursework is the same student enrolled in the course. Honorlock ensures exam integrity by combining AI-driven monitoring with live proctor interventions, browser lockdown tools, and unique features like detecting leaked test content and unauthorized devices.
- Identity Verification
- Student authentication: Honorlock requires students to verify their identity before starting an exam, typically through photo ID checks and facial recognition. This ensures that the person taking the test is the enrolled student.
- Browser & Device Security
- Browser Guard™: Prevents access to unauthorized websites, applications, or multiple monitors during the exam. Phone detection: Honorlock can detect if a student tries to use a secondary device, like a smartphone, to look up answers. Copy/paste & print restrictions: Instructors can disable these functions to prevent students from saving or sharing exam content
- Audio & Video Monitoring
- Speech detection: The system listens for trigger phrases like “Hey Siri” or “OK Google,” while allowing students to read aloud without false flags.
Honorlock secures exams by verifying identity, locking down browsers, detecting unauthorized devices, monitoring audio/video, and actively removing leaked test content. Its mix of AI and live proctors ensures integrity while minimizing stress for students.
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS
A student has the right to trademark or copyright any literary material and to patent any inventions unless duties of the courses enrolled in, or the College, charges the student with, or includes, the duty of producing material for the College to copyright or trademark, or to develop an invention for the College to patent. A student is entitled to all profits earned from copyrighted or trademarked materials or patented inventions developed exclusively on the student’s time and without the use of College funds, materials, or facilities.
Copyrighted or trademarked material or patented inventions developed totally or partially on College time with the use of College materials or facilities or with College funding shall be owned by the College.