Online classes are being taught by chat room as the Bermuda College tries to meet the needs of a web-savvy student population.College President Duranda Greene said students today socialised, communicated and learned in different ways including by podcast, wikis, Facebook, Twitter and other social networks.As a result the college has had to adapt and has implemented online classes involving chat rooms, online resources, wikis and more, said Dr Greene.“Bermuda College even conducts a science course inclusive of a lab, online. Students are no longer bound by space or time,” she told Hamilton Rotarians yesterday.“This is especially important to the non-traditional student who is trying to juggle a multitude of responsibilities.”She said the college had to re-configure classroom designs and add moveable furnishings and enhanced technology to better support teaching and learning.It also had to train teachers, who were not accustomed to dealing with online classes, to effectively integrate technology into the curriculum.Dr Greene said these technologies benefitted not only web-savvy students, known as NetGen, but those who attend college part time and work full-time, have children or aging parents to care for or lack a high school diploma who needed more flexibility.Such advancements would ensure the college’s substantiability, but would require funding from the private sector, Dr Greene explained.“Keeping abreast of technological changes, renovating facilities to enhance the teaching and learning process, ensuring our faculty members are prepared to meet the needs of our diverse student populations, and completing the action steps in our ongoing ten-year strategic plan will require funding.“As a result of the declining funding from the Government, Bermuda College will be required to seek new revenue streams to assure its sustainability and fiscal viability.“Seeking private funding through the establishment of a Bermuda College Foundation will be key to Bermuda College’s sustainability.”Dr Greene said the college would also have to think outside the box and look beyond the traditional ways of formal higher education.She said the school was ready to do its part as the sole tertiary education institution on the Island and had started the transformation to meet both students and employers’ needs.“We now need for more high school graduates from the public and private schools and their parents to make the wise and economical decision by making Bermuda College the first choice for their higher education needs.“Business and industry must consider Bermuda College as a viable training and consultancy partner,” she said.