Tri-County's Online Marketing Courses Can Solve Schedule Conflicts

CONTACT: JACKIE BLAKLEY, EXT. 2181

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 7/19/2000
(By Lisa Garrett)

PENDLETON --- New online marketing courses at Tri-County Technical College can be the answer for students battling time constraints and schedule conflicts that can often hinder completing their degree.

Two distance education classes, Introduction to Business and Marketing, will be offered this fall at Tri-County. These are two in a series of four courses required for a new marketing certificate program. Two more classes, Retailing and Customer Service Principles, will be offered online in the spring.

Retail in the tri-county area is on the rise, and the certificate is a way to give graduates an edge and help current members of the workforce to be better employees, said Jackie Blakley, head of the College's Business Technology department.

"Our focus is on the student with time constraints," said Mrs. Blakley. "We have many working students who attend night classes who would like to take more than two classes per semester. Many evening students take four classes and consequently are in class four nights per week. The online class is a way to cut down on the drive time to campus and to have the opportunity take classes at home," she said.

Many times, the only thing holding the student back is the time the classes are offered, she said. "At times, they don't fit into the students' schedule. By taking an online course, they can spend more time with their family, continue to pursue their education and it won't take as long to get the degree.

Also, the online classes will be an alternative for the many students who spend their lunch hours here on campus taking a class.

Online classes are not for everyone, said Mrs. Blakley. "To be successful, you must be self motivated and disciplined and be able to complete work with minimal faculty supervision," she said.

"It's not an easy way out. In fact, it could be more time consuming," she added.

An important consideration is you must have access to the Internet, she said.

Mrs. Blakley added that the courses offered also fit into the two-year management degree program. "These two courses are just the beginning of several online courses to come in the future," she said.

"Marketing is a growing field. This is just one step. This certificate will make you a better employee with its customer service emphasis and in-depth study of marketing," said Mrs. Blakley.

For more information, contact Jackie Blakley by e-mail at jblakley@tctc.edu, or call her at Ext. 2181, at one of these numbers: Anderson County, 225-2250; Oconee County -- 882-4412; Pickens County -- 859-7033; or Clemson/Anderson/Pendleton -- 646-8361. Persons who are deaf, hard of hearing or speech disabled should call TDD/VOICE 1-800-735-2905.
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