NINE Virginia Community Colleges placed in the annual Digital Community College Survey as being leaders in the field of technology this year, beating last year’s record, when six were named.

The Center for Digital Education has surveyed community colleges for the past five years about their use of technology – including online registration, distance learning, tutoring and advisory services, technology training for students and faculty, and Web 2.0 social and collaborative capabilities.

Community colleges are divided into three categories by size.  Among largest community colleges, NVCC and TCC are #2 and #3, respectively, in the digital survey.

Among mid-sized colleges, RCC comes in tied for #4, LFCC ties for #5; MECC is #6; SWCC is #8; and PHCC and PVCC tie for #10.

Among our small colleges, DSLCC is #2.

Quite a showing!

Marina Light, vice president of the Center for Digital Education that runs the survey, says

Community colleges, year after year, impress us with their forward thinking and abilities to adapt quickly….Our survey results show overwhelmingly that community colleges are fact embracing cyber technologies used by ‘first digitals,’ fostering collaboration in learning by using tools in which students are familiar. Those institutions chosen as this year’s top community colleges are exceptional examples of this investment in learning.”

– posted by Susan Hayden