Baptist Colleges Online Provides Faith-Based School Directory
A 52-membered association of Baptist-related schools is getting a hand from a new website built for students that consider a faith-based college or university to be an important factor in their decision-making process.
"I often get calls from individuals asking what schools have online programs,” said Tim Fields, Director of Communications at the Association of Southern Baptist Colleges and Schools (ASBCS). Now, rather than spending a good deal of time finding an accurate answer, Fields refers them to www.baptistcollegesonline.com (BCO).
“This has opened new doors for us that are important,” the communications director added.
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BCO, which eLearning company Learning House, Inc., developed in partnership with ASBCS, provides a directory of Baptist colleges that offer “high quality, online programs of study.” It lists courses in many academic areas, including courses in general Bible studies and ministry preparation. The site also includes an article written by Dr Bob Agee, executive director of ASBCS, which discusses why students should consider a Baptist institution for their traditional and/or online learning needs.
According to a news release, there are 51 ASBCS schools with online programs, and several are listed on the new website.
“The demographics of our students are changing,” Fields said, as more explore the realm of online education. Many of the association’s member institutions are small to mid-sized schools, who now find themselves able to reach a far larger number of potential students through the Internet.
According to Fields, the benefits of more promotion for members’ online programs will be multi-faceted, providing more learning opportunities for students and a wider base of students for the schools.
He said the goal is “to continue to provide outstanding education with a Christian perspective.”
Ian Minderman, Vice-President of Operations for Learning House, said the company is “excited to partner with ASBCS on [BCO].”
“Students have ever increasing choices for their online education needs,” he said in the news release. “Baptist Colleges Online was built for those students who consider a faith-based college or university to be an important factor in their decision-making process.”
According to Fields, BCO will be immensely helpful to ACBCS in relating with prospective students and with the organization’s schools themselves.
“It will be accessed heavily,” he said, referring to the site as a good recruiting tool.
