About the College of Extended Learning

What the College of Extended Learning does

The College of Extended Learning expands the audience, increases the number of pathways available to students, and offers technological resources to the University community.

NMSU's College of Extended Learning, created in spring 2005 from the former Office of Distance Education and Weekend College, is dedicated to the idea that learning should be innovative, student oriented, lifelong, and accessible. The units of our college, including Distance Education, Media Technology, the Teaching Academy, and Weekend Courses, our degree programs, and interdisciplinary partnerships, all seek innovative ways to deliver learning to people interested in extending their skill sets and intellectual horizons.

How the College of Extended Learning serves students

The College of Extended Learning offers flexible programs to serve students with degree plans and academic experiences that do not fit the traditional mold. The Bachelor of Applied Studies and the Bachelor of Individualized Studies allow students to build, enhance, and broaden prior and current academic experiences without having to start over or take courses that do not meet their academic needs.

Distance Education and Weekend Courses extend traditional university degree programs and courses beyond the constraints of time and location. Jobs, families, community ties, and other commitments can prevent students from attending weekday courses on campus. But each academic year, Weekend Courses and Distance Education offer over 700 courses from over 40 programs, on weekends and to locations far from NMSU campuses.

How the College of Extended Learning serves the University community

From the Teaching Academy, NMSU also extends educational opportunities to the University community through training, networking, and mentoring. The Academy, which provided over 7,000 hours of training in the 2004-2005 academic year, aims to improve skills essential for success in the classroom and the academic environment. As a University-wide service provider, the Teaching Academy reaches across all NMSU campuses, colleges, units, and areas and serves faculty, graduate assistants, staff, and students.

The Teaching Academy, Weekend Courses, and Office of Distance Education are able to offer learning opportunities to so many because of help from Media Technology. Programming to and from NMSU is routed through Media Tech's extensive communication tools. Faculty, administrators, staff, and students have used these services, including two-way video conferencing, to connect around the world for meetings, dissertation defenses, and interviews.