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Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, MiraCosta was consistently among the top 10 California Community Colleges in terms of the amount of distance education (DE) we offered and the proportion of our classes offered via DE. Post-pandemic, the steady trend in online class offering and participation has only accelerated. This table offers a quick look at this growth, across credit and non-credit programs, and including summer.

	2018-19	2023-24
DE course sections offered	872	2172
Portion of MiraCosta FTES from DE classes	29.6%	71.4%
Portion of MiraCosta students taking at least one DE class	50.7%	88.0%
Portion of MiraCosta students enrolled in only DE classes	19.6%	56.5%

Definitions

The following are important foundational concepts for this handbook - please review them carefully! These are all taken from the MiraCosta 2023-26 Online Education Plan.

Online education is an expansive term at MiraCosta College, encompassing technologies, services, resources, programs, classes, and teaching/learning experiences that are mediated at least partially through the Internet.
Distance Education (DE) is a more specific term and is important for accreditation and compliance with state and federal regulations. MiraCosta’s administrative procedure on DE, AP 4105, defines DE in accordance with federal statute as “education that uses [technology] to deliver instruction to students who are separated from the instructor(s) and to support regular and substantive interaction between the students and instructor(s) either synchronously or asynchronously.” It is important to note that a vital distinguishing characteristic of DE as opposed to correspondence education is that regular and substantive interaction (RSI) between instructor and students. In 2024, ACCJC established procedures for evaluating RSI as part of the accreditation process.
Distance education classes are defined, in accordance with California Community College and ACCJC procedures for data reporting and disaggregation, as course sections in which over half of the instructional time occurs via DE.
Distance education programs, in accordance with ACCJC standards, are those in which half or more of the required courses have been approved to be offered via distance education through MiraCosta’s curriculum process.
Hybrid classes at MiraCosta are those in which the instructional time is conducted partially online and partially in-person. A hybrid class is considered a DE class for data reporting purposes if over half of its instructional time is conducted online. A class that is otherwise conducted online but requires in-person proctored exams is considered a Hybrid. All hybrid classes are required to comply with AP 4105 for the portions of the class that are conducted via distance education.
Online classes may be completed entirely online, asynchronously.

With the introduction of new course modalities during the Covid pandemic, we also now talk about:

Scheduled online classes - may be completed online, including scheduled synchronous meetings.
HyFlex classes - are taught in a classroom and online simultaneously. Students choose how to attend. As of spring 2023, HyFlex classes at MiraCosta offer the choice of in-person or online synchronous attendance, but not online asynchronous.. Please see the MiraCosta Academic Senate HyFlex Recommendations adopted in spring 2023 for more information.

Additionally, it's probably important to address the word Course. This can be a confusing word because it is used contextually to mean related, but different, things.

In a curricular sense, course is shorthand for the course of study comprising the content, activities, outcomes, and assessments described in a Course Outline of Record. "Have you completed the SOC 101 course?"
In a colloquial sense, you may hear a course section, or class, referred to as a course. "What grade did you get in Professor Davis's SOC 101 course?" This is probably technically incorrect, and it would be clearer if we consistently used "course section" or "class" for this purpose.
It's also generally accepted to refer to the online site supporting a course section as a course. "The Canvas course for Professor Davis's SOC 101 class is really well organized." Sometimes people will refer to this as a course site or course shell.

Rationale, Vision, and Mission for Online Education at MiraCosta

Why offer online education? Fundamentally, online education aligns with MiraCosta College's mission. As noted in MiraCosta's 2015-18 Online Education Plan, "online education enables diverse learners access to educational opportunities that they might not otherwise have." A 2022 survey of MiraCosta students showed that 35% of students want to complete all coursework online, and 44% of students prefer a mix of in-person and online classes.

MiraCosta Online Education Vision
MiraCosta’s Online Education leverages an increasingly rich array of teaching and learning resources, experiences, and environments. MiraCosta College will lead in providing effective and innovative Online Education as an integral means of equitable access and student success.

MiraCosta Online Education Mission
The mission of Online Education at MiraCosta is to create and support an engaging, equitable, and student-centered learning experience through online instruction, resources, and services.

If you'd like to review more details about MiraCosta's online education governance, planning, and annual reporting, please visit the Online Education Plans, Governance, and Accreditation webpage.

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