Wake Tech Entrance Sign (Photo Credit: Anthony DeHart, WPTF/Curtis Media)
Anthony DeHart
The COVID-19 pandemic forced most students and educators to transition to online learning. The head of North Carolina’s largest community college, Wake Tech President Scott Ralls, says this sudden transition to remote education provided a learning opportunity about the pros and cons of online education.
For some community colleges such as Wake Tech, prior experience with online classes helped them prepare. Ralls says his and other such schools have been leaders in distance education since before the pandemic.
“Primarily because we serve working adults who oftentimes need the convenience of distance education to complete their degrees,” Ralls said. “So for many years, community colleges have been forerunners in distance education.”
Ralls said while remote education can provide great benefits, there are some areas, such as medical fields, that require hands-on, in-person training.
“A lot of the jobs have to have a physical presence,” Ralls said, “and education has to have a physical presence, and have labs, shops, and tactile types of things that happen.”
Ralls said that hands-on experience can make a big difference in the long run.
“You would never want to hire a welder or an automotive mechanic or many people, people who work in healthcare and others if they were totally [trained] through distance ed courses.”
Scott Ralls, President of Wake Tech Community College, was the guest on this week’s edition of “Carolina Newsmakers” with Don Curtis. You can listen to the latest episodes here.