
Course Sharing

Since its founding as the Virtual College of Texas in 1998, DigiTex has facilitated inter-institutional course sharing across the state. Working with community college presidents, the Texas Association of Community Colleges conceived of the VCT “Host/Provider” model, with students at host colleges enrolling in courses offered by provider colleges without having to enroll in the provider institution or engage in a transfer process of the course back to their host institution. Over the history of VCT, all 50 public community college districts in the state have participated in some capacity, with more than 50,000 students accessing courses needed for completion of credentials.
In 2019, DigiTex partnered with the company Acadeum for more effective and efficient course sharing in Texas (and potentially beyond). A student enrolls in the local community college (Home Institution, formerly “Host”) to take a course that is taught by an instructor located at another college, the Teaching Institution (formerly “Provider”). Acadeum Course Share™ facilitates enrollment and payment processes and provides additional student support.
Benefits to students include:
- Access to distance learning courses statewide. This access supports progress, retention, and success, therefore helping to fulfill the goals of 60x30TX.
- Support with high-quality, locally-delivered — by their home institution — services, as well as support services through Acadeum.
- Credits earned at their local college rather than having to enroll in multiple colleges throughout Texas and transfer the credits to their local institutions.
Participating colleges agree to the standards outlined in our consortial Memorandum of Understanding, including compliance with standards and requirements set by the Commission on Colleges, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
A credit-bearing course eligible for inclusion on Acadeum’s platform through the consortium meets the following criteria:
- It is included in the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board‘s Lower Division Academic Course Guide Manual (ACGM);
- It is included in the Workforce Education Course Manual (WECM) and is attached to an approved program offered at the college, at least as an elective; or
- If not in either manual it is on both the Home and Teaching Institutions’ inventory of approved academic or technical courses.
The current catalogue of courses available through DigiTex can be found here (listed under “Consortium”). For more information, see Frequently Asked Questions or contact us.
Course Sharing Spotlights
Course Sharing Case Studies
The first publication in our new series of case studies, Best Practices in Texas Digital Higher Education, “Harnessing Course Sharing for Student Success: Howard College & Western Texas College,” highlights the innovative, collaborative, and visionary work of these institutions to engage course sharing to provide their students, and students across the state and nation, an education without boundaries to support their access and success. Both colleges serve as exemplary practitioners of digital higher education in Texas.
Frequently Asked Questions
Students
DigiTex members include all public community colleges in Texas; you can find a list here. If your college or university is not a DigiTex member, contact Acadeum at info@acadeum.com to see if your institution participates independently or as a member of another consortium.
No. First, you must be enrolled at your local Texas community college (your Home Institution, or HI) to take courses via DigiTex/Acadeum. If you are, you can view available courses and request enrollment in a course through Acadeum, but your request must be approved by a designated individual, often the DigiTex Coordinator and/or an advisor, at your HI. For contact info for your college’s DigiTex Coordinator, click on your college’s name here.
Course selection varies from term to term, but both academic/core and workforce/technical courses can be included on the platform. Contact your college’s DigiTex Coordinator for more information about course selection and availability.
Teaching Institutions (TIs) usually place a link to their bookstore in the TI welcome letter that is sent to students when the Teaching Institution accepts their enrollment requests. Additionally, required learning materials should be posted in the TI’s Learning Management System (LMS), and students should view them when they log into the LMS. Students can work with the TI to find the best method for acquiring the materials if unavailable digitally.
Institutions
Participating colleges agree to the standards outlined in a consortial agreement, including compliance with standards and requirements set by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. Syllabi and faculty credentials, such as CVs, are available for most courses and some include student learning assessment information as well. HIs can control what courses are made available to their students.
Costs vary depending on whether a college serves as a Teaching Institution, a Home Institution, or both. Fees include an annual platform access fee and, for TIs, a portion of the student enrollment fee. For more information, including possible discounts and/or subsidies for platform access fees, contact judith.sebesta@austincc.edu.
A credit-bearing course eligible for inclusion on Acadeum’s platform through the consortium meets the following criteria:
- It is included in the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board‘s Lower Division Academic Course Guide Manual (ACGM);
- It is included in the Workforce Education Course Manual (WECM) and is attached to an approved program offered at the college, at least as an elective; or
- If not in either manual it is on both the Home and Teaching Institutions’ inventory of approved academic or technical courses.
If you are at a Texas public community college, email Judith Sebesta at judith.sebesta@austincc.edu to request more information.
General
Enrollment fees vary and are set by the Teaching Institution. However, the average cost for a 3-hour course is around $225.
When a student takes a course at another institution (TI) through our consortium, the course grade and credit are recorded on the transcript from the HI (where the student is enrolled). The TI sends student grades to the HI through Acadeum’s Academic Sharing Platform. Teaching Institutions and Home Institutions use import and export files to load and download grades, and Acadeum sends emails when grades are due (TI) and available (HI).
No. Acadeum’s Academic Sharing Platform facilitates enrollment and payment processes and provides additional student support. When students enroll in a course through Acadeum, they will receive information to log into the Teaching Institution’s LMS, through which the course will be delivered.
More advice and answers from the Acadeum Team can be found here.