The TriFlex Advantage!
The TriFlex schedule may include options as traditional classroom courses offered late afternoons and evenings, directed seminars, and online courses.
Classroom Courses have traditional classroom meeting times (40-45 contact hours). Classes generally meet once per week (afternoons, evenings, and weekends) during the fall and spring semesters, and twice per week during abbreviated summer sessions. They are offered on both the Bristol and Providence campuses, and at the Newport Naval Base. Such courses provide close teacher-student contact.
Directed Seminars usually meet six times per semester, and are supplemented by web resources and/or electronic course components (including e-mail, fax, and telephone conferencing. They are a combination of classroom meetings along with independent, out-of-class or on-line study. Between class meetings, students may use Blackboard for assignment retrieval and submission, as well as engage in teacher-student interactions via e-mail or on-line discussion boards. Electronic course components also enable interaction among students. Students may also meet with instructors on an individual basis.
On-Line Courses are fully on-line via Blackboard and on-campus class meetings are not required. On-line courses provide the following options. Course calendar and announcements, asynchronous communication (threaded discussions), synchronous communication (real-time chat and whiteboard), course study guides, content creation and distribution, messaging system, on-line tutorial, course presentations and content navigation.
Internship courses may be required or are an elective for some programs. An internship (sometimes called a practicum) gives academic credit for independent learning with a faculty sponsor and a supervisor/expert under whose direction the work is performed. Internships must be academically significant and oriented toward specific career and professional development. An internship may be taken by a student who is employed in a position that requires using college-level skills or competencies, and job-related internships involve activities that, though part of the student's employment, take on more depth, detail, and analysis.
Please Note: Not all programs will offer all three types of course delivery systems. Further, courses which may be required for graduation in some of our programs may not be offered at each of the University's campuses or satellite locations. Each degree or certificate program will dictate which location(s) and which type of course delivery options are available.