Reducing cognitive dissonance: creating holistic student support in the online classroom a training seminar for community college faculty

The open access nature and mission of the community college draws in millions of
students annually. Students seeking a high-quality affordable option for a higher education are
finding community college a viable option as a pathway to skills, careers, and a foundation for
further credentials and degrees.
Along with myriad choices, accessibility, and access comes flexibility in degree and
course offerings. Students are increasingly choosing alternative delivery options such as online
and hybrid modalities to fit around their already busy lives. Even with recent enrollment
declines, the online modality has remained viable, however, as amplified by the recent COVID19 pandemic impacts, many students struggle with success in online learning.
The developed faculty training seminar provides faculty with a professional
development resource for gaining the necessary skills to teach online and provide holistic
support options for online students.