Bishop State Community College combines Quality Matters© APPQMR trained faculty with leading-edge technology and support to provide you the best educational experience possible. The Distance Education department at Bishop State supports all online courses and programs at Bishop State. Our Wildcat students currently have the opportunity to earn Associate Degrees in Arts and in General Studies completely online, and more degree programs will be available soon!
Online AA/AS Degree Map
The Distance Education Department highly recommends that any Wildcat planning to take ONLINE courses review the information and training in our Get Online Wildcats resource course. This will provide you with the knowledge and tools you need to be successful in any of Bishop State's online programs. Click the link below to get started:
CANVAS is the Learning Management System (LMS) in which you will access instruction for your online classes. Your USER ID will be your A#@alabama.edu and the password that you used to set up your Single Sign On (SSO) or Wildcat Portal Account. If you need assistance with your log in credentials, please contact itservices@bishop.edu.
You can also access Canvas LMS on mobile devices (Android and iOS) via the Canvas app or your mobile device’s web browser. Test-taking on mobile devices is NOT recommended. For proctored assessments, you will need a computer with a webcam and internet access and Chrome Browser.
CANVAS HELP
You may contact Canvas for technical support 24 hours a day by clicking the Help button in Canvas.
For assistance with logging in to the Wildcat Portal to access Canvas and other Bishop State technology, contact itservices@bishop.edu.
For assistance with using Canvas, contact Franklin Boykin (251-405-7115) or Sarah Shaw (251-405-4457) or email distance_ed@bishop.edu or complete the following ticket request:
Applicants to Bishop State Community College distance education courses must follow the same admission requirements as all college students. Students should contact the Office of Admissions and Records for information about admissions and registration. Credit for distance education courses applies toward associate and certificate degrees.
You can also visit the following pages for additional information:
All distance education courses include proctored assessments worth at least 25 % of each student’s final grade. Students must provide valid photo identification (student ID, state-issued driver’s license/ID, military ID, or passport).
The proctored assessment may be administered in one of the following ways:
- On-campus assessment: An assessment will be given during a published proctored assessment meeting.
- Off-campus, proctored assessment: Students who live more than 50 miles from the Main campus may use a proctor who has been approved by the instructor of the course, following the appropriate proctoring guidelines. Completed proctor forms must be submitted to faculty by midterm of the semester. All costs (if any) associated with procuring a proctor fall upon the student.
- The College may use proctoring services through Canvas to administer proctored assessments. Proctoring services activate a student’s webcam and record video and audio of the student taking the exam so it can be proctored remotely. Thus, the student is responsible for procuring a computer with a webcam and microphone that is compatible with Canvas and other proctoring software. Use of proctoring software by the student will require the student to show a photo ID and consent to be recorded. Continuation of the exam past the point of showing the ID is considered consent.
NATIONAL COUNCIL ON STATE AUTHORIZATION AND RECIPROCITY AGREEMENTS (SARA) STUDENT COMPLAINT INFORMATION
In receiving a student complaint covered by licensure, consumer protection, or educational services (quality), the Alabama State Portal Entity (ASPE) will respond in
the following manner. If the student wishes to file a complaint, the initial screening will first, determine if the institution is operating under the SARA agreement, second, if the student was/is properly enrolled, third, the nature of the complaint, and fourth, if the student has exhausted all efforts to resolve the issue under institutional guidelines (published) and procedures provided to all students. Please note that SARA Guideline 4.5a states, “Complaints against an institution operating under SARA go first through the institution’s own procedures for resolution of grievances”. Thus, if the out-of-state student has not utilized all available administrative procedures allowed by the institution, as outlined in the institution’s Catalog or Student Handbook, she/he will be referred back to the institution to complete the process.
The student complaint process may be found here: COMPLIANCE WITH STATE AUTHORIZATION REGULATIONS UNDER TITLE IV OF THE HIGHER EDUCATION ACT OF 1965, AS AMENDED STUDENT COMPLAINT PROCESS
The form for submitting a complaint may be found here: NC-SARA STUDENT COMPLAINT FORM
.