Northwest Missouri Educational Consortium (NMEC)
Northwest has been offering Distance Learning courses through online technology for well over ten years. However, over that same period, many courses were also offered by Northwest through Distance Learning via Interactive Television (ITV) technology under the auspices of the Northwest Missouri Educational Consortium (NMEC).
ITV courses utilize videoconferencing equipment which allows people at different sites to see and hear one another simultaneously. This allows offsite students the ability to interact with their professor, and other class members, in real time.
By combining ITV and online technologies, “blended” classes have been created which give students the best of both worlds - some aspects of the class can be done by the student whenever or wherever they like online, but the class also meets via ITV so students can interact with their professor, the material and other classmates.
Most ITV classes are offered at Northwest’s Outreach Centers in Kansas City and St. Joseph, but other ITV sites utilized include: North Central Missouri College in Trenton; North Central Career Center in Bethany, Brookfield Area Career Center, Grand River Technical School in Chillicothe and Northwest Technical School in Maryville.
Through the NMEC, Northwest also receives ITV classes from other higher education institutions, allowing students the ability to have the opportunity to take courses which will supplement their learning experiences.