Until recently, Central Christian College of the Bible in Moberly, Missouri, operated the way that colleges did for centuries.  Students attended classes in rooms on campus and either lived there or commuted in.

But the college noticed that some of its students were taking online courses at other institutions and then asking Central to transfer the credits.

“We were losing control over the content they were taking, as well as the revenue from the students,” said Dr. David B. Fincher, Central’s Vice President of Academics.  “It seemed like we should have an option of our own.”

It was not an option that they had to pursue alone, however.  In the summer of 2009, Central Christian College of the Bible tapped Knowledge Elements as its partner, initially to help develop its online program.

“It looked like they had helped several other schools of our size get to the point where they were self-sufficient in an online program,” Dr. Fincher said.

By January 2010, Central had its online offerings available through the Knowledge Elements Education Network (KEEN).  Now, two years later, one-third of Central’s 300 students take at least one online class.  About 10 percent of the student body is online only.

“We have a lot of flexibility in advising and it has helped us get some students who couldn’t relocate,” Dr. Fincher said.  “Overall, our faculty is teaching courses in summers and the semesters to earn a little additional money and help our students who are behind get caught up.  It’s really a nice component of our program.”

KEEN also has helped the college to better serve students at the ministry-based school, where all degrees point towards a Bible and ministry major.  Students benefit, Dr. Fincher believes, from the large number of online courses offered through KEEN—all with minimal IT time from the college.

Knowledge Elements has been alongside Central every step of the way, from training instructors to use the system to helping the college’s coordinator transition courses.  KE also helped Central develop an online associate’s degree (AA) program, which was approved in the summer of 2011.

When selecting an online program or network like KEEN, Dr. Fincher recommends schools “look at three different partners before you make your choice.  Ask a school experienced with each of them what their struggles were, then ask those hard questions to the provider.”