Gov. Bev Perdue has launched a Web site aimed at bringing all types of online learning under one roof for North Carolina.

eLearningNC.gov will provide all North Carolina students from K-20, which includes students in school and those looking to further their education later in life or who need retraining, with a way to take advantage of online learning such as NC Virtual Public School, online courses from community colleges or universities and online career building.

While these programs did previously exist on their own and were in use by a number of institutions, including ones in this area, the new Web site will house all of those programs under one roof, making it easier for interested parties to determine the best course of action for them.

“It gives a portal for all the online opportunities for students across the state,” said Dr. Candace Holder, director of distance education at Surry Community College. “The goal was that it would be one of the top hits online. Based on each student’s needs, it would send them to the appropriate institution, whether that’s a high school, a community college or a four-year college.”

The Web site provides every citizen with the ability to take online courses that would normally not be available to them in their community, providing the opportunity to learn new skills through retraining or continuing education.

“The way it was explained to us by the governor is that it brings all the things we’re already using into one portal,” said Wendy Carriker, Mount Airy City Schools Board of Education chair. “It’s an exciting thing. It’s not just high school anymore, it’s K-20. She also talked about if someone is displaced from a job, they can take classes on what they need to catch up on a new job.”

While most of the area schools are already using many of the programs this Web site caters to, the consolidation will help keep track of everything that is available.

“The governor just made this site to consolidate all the resources. We’re already using these resources,” said Sonia Dickerson, teacher quality coordinator for Surry County Schools.

Surry Community College is offering 11 degrees through online courses. With the consolidation, community colleges across the state will be able to offer their students more online opportunities. According to Holder, if one community college does not offer a particular class online, students can use the Web site to see if another community college offers the course online.

“It’s a good way to have all the eLearning applications in the state centralized,” said Holder.

For more information on the new Web site and opportunities available, visit eLearningNC.gov to follow links on K-12 eLearning, College eLearning and Career eLearning.

Contact Morgan Wall at mwall@mtairynews.com or 719-1929.