The Ducktape Regatta is an annual fundraiser that benefits the Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters. In this event, groups of people come together to construct, decorate, and race their own boats. Naturally, these boats are stabilized by our greatest pastime: Ducktape. Each team is given a boatbuilding kit, consisting of plywood, lumber, screw fasteners, and a roll of duck tape. The competition is fierce, and the fun flows as freely as the water.

CONL employees were part of four different teams this year. The race began at 2:00 p.m. and each team had a designated rower sporting a personal flotation device or life jacket racing their boat. The races were held in “heats,” thus the winners of Heat 1 would compete against the winners of Heat 2. The third and final heat determined first, second, and third place overall. The entire day consisted of building the boats, inspecting the vessels, racing the boats, an awards ceremony, with drinks, hamburgers, and hot dogs to keep everyone sustained on a hot summer day.

As always, Centura put on a good show at the Regatta with several of their teams. Brad Groom, CONL’s Aviation Program Coordinator, and his team, Spruce Goose, won a “Most Unique Design” award for their boat. Additionally, the interdepartmental A-Team won the coveted Rubber Duck award (the equivalent of Best in Show). James Fields, an Admissions Representative, dressed up as Mr. T as part of the A-Team, stating, “Giving back to charity dressed as Mr. T is the best of both worlds! Seeing all the other teams working extremely hard right beside us was exhilarating and I would love to do this again.

Lastly, another CONL team, the Thundercats, was the only group to reach the Semi-Finals.  Elena Durazo, a Career Advisor, commented, “It definitely wasn’t as hot as last year’s Regatta and even though there was the looming threat of rain, the races managed to be mostly on schedule. . . All in all, another fun day for a great cause.” Centura College Online looks forward to next year’s Duck Tape Regatta and can’t wait to attempt new strategies to enhance the competition and increase the fun.

Over the next year, the Online campus will be developing a new Online Student Success course around the textbook, which will promote positive choices, informed decision making, and solid critical thinking skills for new online students, in order to help students be aware of expectations of online learning.  The new course will be offered for free to all incoming students.

Engage opens with four chapters that communicate the specialized environment of online learning to new students.  Part I reviews best practices in becoming a successful student, provides essential technology support, reviews the ethics of being an academically honest online student, and it debunks many myths of online learning.  The textbook will offer an online component, called Technology Bootcamps, which will provide free basic technology skills to students who need to brush up before starting their program.

Part II of the book reviews basic academic skills such as assessing learning style, critical thinking, learning practices, and writing conventions.  And Part III reviews mastering the academics, finance, and social aspects of being a successful online student.  A main feature of the textbook is “Student Voices,” which appear in each chapter.  The Student Voices are testimonials from successful Centura College graduates who attest to the various ways in which they succeeded within the online program.  Our own students provide an authentic voice to current and future students, and they provide encouragement and practical suggestions to help them succeed.

Engage will stand as the only full-length online student success textbook currently on the market.  Our staff and students are working together to not only benefit our own students, but also empower online schools across the country to better support their students’ success.