Northern Oklahoma College

Since the college’s beginning in 1901 with only 217 students, Northern Oklahoma College has been on the forefront of advancement. Today the college continues to evolve around the ever-changing technological world. OneNet helps to provide the most up-to-date digital connection possible for the over 4,600 students who attend Northern Oklahoma College each year. These students may not notice the impact that OneNet services provide for their educational experience, but administrators see them every day.

NOC is the oldest community college in Oklahoma with its original campus located in Tonkawa. Through its branch locations in Enid and Stillwater, Northern Oklahoma College offers a variety of courses to high school concurrent students. Many of these courses are in a distance learning setting, meaning students do not have to be present at NOC, but can watch a live-stream conference of courses being taught there. These courses include subjects such as Composition I & II, American Government, American History and College Algebra. All of these courses are considered necessary to achieve a degree at NOC, making them essential for students looking to get a head start in college.

Concurrent classes are a vital opportunity for students across Oklahoma looking for an early start working towards completing a degree. Over the 2015-2016 school year, over 11,000 students participated in concurrent courses through higher education institutions across the state. These students earned a combined 103,125 credit hours for college credit over the academic year before even finishing their high school degrees.

NOC currently serves school districts such as Chisholm, Covington-Douglas, Crescent, Enid, Morrison, Okeene and Pond Creek-Hunter through distance learning programs. Students can take courses and get ahead for college in an affordable manner. As NOC’s partner in distance learning, OneNet provides comprehensive video conferencing services to NOC including video conferencing bridging, recording options and troubleshooting. The troubleshooting services OneNet provides give assurance to users that their video conferencing equipment is functional and running. The helpdesk takes the pressure off K-12 educators who can always call OneNet for help. OneNet video conferencing services have allowed NOC to reach more students and offer more courses for college credit.

“Having OneNet assist and provide network services, where available, to high schools and learning centers has helped alleviate issues and provided technical support that many locations could not afford,” said, Director of Information and Instructional Technology Mike Machia.

OneNet provides video conferencing services to schools at no additional charge, enabling both higher education institutions and K-12 schools to give students more opportunities to succeed in the future.  NOC is the state’s largest user of OneNet video conferencing services. Since April, NOC has made over 800 video connections between locations to provide more affordable access to students.

“(OneNet) has enabled Northern Oklahoma College to provide high quality and reliable network services to its campus and community,” said Machia.

The cost savings provided by OneNet services to Northern Oklahoma College has helped the college focus on what’s crucial to its mission, the students and their personalized educational experience. The OneNet network has also allowed for growth in distance learning programs with schools that would not usually have the opportunity to take part in these televised courses.

OneNet provides a secure and reliable network to both Northern Oklahoma College and the many secondary schools participating in the distance learning programs. This connection of secondary and higher education institutions displays OneNet’s commitment to Oklahoma students and their growth into successful citizens.

“The services OneNet provides to local colleges, such as Northern Oklahoma College, give students a superior educational experience. This connection between Northern Oklahoma College and local K12 schools showcases the advantages that technology can provide students,” said OneNet Executive Director Von Royal.

“These students tend to perform better in the classroom and complete their degrees more quickly than other students.  Providing these opportunities to Oklahoma students is a key part of OneNet’s mission,” said Royal.

Technology and education go together. Technological advancements lead to success for students and thus in their given careers. The support of OneNet allows higher education institutions, such as Northern Oklahoma College, to focus funds on advancing other parts of a student’s experience, such as excellent faculty and staff.

One piece of NOC’s mission is to create a campus of continuous improvement. With the help of OneNet services, Northern Oklahoma College can accomplish this and help local K-12 schools along the way.