The Fall 2020 semester marks West Virginia’s Remote Online Collaborative Knowledge System (WVROCKS) ninth year of service to institutions of higher education in the State.
The WVROCKS portal delivers quality online courses to Regents Bachelor of Arts (RBA) and Board of Governor’s (BOG) degree students from eight different institutions: Bluefield State College, Concord University, Fairmont State University, Marshall University, Shepherd University, BridgeValley Community & Technical College, Southern Community & Technical College, and West Virginia Northern Community & Technical College. Their winning formula of accelerated, affordable, and accessible courses covering a range of subjects from the humanities to mathematics and sciences has been well received by adult students who have some college education but were never able to complete their degrees.
Despite the unusual circumstances brought on by Covid-19, enrollments remained steady at 2,713 and retention rates increased from 91% during the 2018/19 Academic Year to 96% in the 2019/20 Academic Year, and pass rates remained constant from the mid- to high-eightieth percentile. Translated, that means that more working adults have the opportunity to successfully obtain a college degree by taking online courses that work with their busy schedules.
The close working relationships that WVROCKS administrators and staff have with the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission as well as the hosting services provided by West Virginia Network have greatly contributed to their success.