Distance Ed Supports Traditional Teaching and Expands the Classroom

Distance Ed Supports Traditional Teaching and Expands the Classroom

The Web makes Education available without physical limits around the world and right next door.

by Suzanne Dowling

When new technology offers a totally new way of doing business, the first response may be akin to "The sky is falling! The sky is falling!" So it was when distance education first surfaced at university campuses across the country. A fear arose that on-campus education would become a thing of the past. Today, while distance education offerings have increased at The University of Alabama and elsewhere, residential education is alive and well, and both educational settings have thrived.

"It is my belief that no delivery method will ever replace a teacher. The quality of the product, regardless of the delivery, is dependent on the instructor,” said Dr. Carroll Tingle, director of distance education for UA's College of Continuing Studies. "That instructor's teaching style and personality bleed through the technology, as does pedagogic detail."

Tingle said UA's distance education offerings have grown over the years from correspondence courses only to five modes of course delivery. "UA still offers correspondence courses for both high school and undergraduate courses, but also offers videotaped instruction, satellite uplinks, video conferencing, and online courses," she said.

"We're looking to specific audiences. We have a global approach, but we're trying to look at the state and economic needs of the Southeastern area and provide full programs that fit those needs. For example, the automotive industry and R.N.s in rural areas need B.S. degrees," she said.

The QUEST program delivers courses taped in real time and sent out to students just as if they had been in the class. The satellite uplink course offerings all revolve around National Technological University. (See related article.)

However, Tingle said the delivery modes seeing the biggest growth have been online courses and video conferencing.

"We now have a statewide network called VIANET that connects 125 sites around the state with live, interactive video conferencing," Tingle said. "VIANET pretty well covers the state, so anyone who wants to get UA credit can go to a site within very short driving distance and participate in real-time courses.

"The students like it because it connects them to students all around the state and provides a very enriching environment. Also, teaching in these classrooms is a nice opportunity for faculty because they have the latest technology and, unlike in regular multimedia classrooms, they always have a technician there to assist."

UA's GOALS (Global Online Academic Learning System) offers the full core curriculum courses, plus several degree programs online. The coursework is transmitted directly to a student's computer desktop via the Web. Tingle explained that this is more, however, than just installing courses on the Web.

"We want to create a very special learning opportunity that provides dynamic materials to the student to use in accomplishing their educational goals. We want the courses to be interactive, stimulating and up to date, and the courses should open up resources that the students wouldn't have in an on-campus classroom," she said.

For faculty, Tingle said, creating online courses can be challenging, but also very rewarding.

"To create a new class in a new medium is a big jump. But it's also more creative, gives faculty more opportunities and more tools than they have in a face-to-face classroom. Online courses are ever changing and we want to make it something better, something different, a better teaching/ learning experience. Faculty can manipulate the Web tools into something you couldn't do in a face-to-face setting."

Tingle also noted that the Distance Education division and the Faculty Resource Center work together to provide faculty with the training and the assistance needed to accomplish these objectives. One such method is WebCT.

Tingle said that the program offerings would continue to grow.

"Our future offerings will have to do with what's going on in society, especially in the Alabama community, and will be more discipline-specific. We'll work to make appropriate learning opportunities available from this institution to meet these needs of the citizens of the state and region who can't leave their jobs and families to come to UA residentially," she said.

And while these courses, as well as other distance education offerings, have traditionally appealed to the over-25 student, Tingle said that they are now attracting younger students as well.

"We have found, especially as we expand online, more and more of the younger students are wanting to enroll, mainly because they are finding the courses to be robust, stimulating, and flexibly scheduled."

But Tingle points out that on campus or off, all students are the same in that they are seeking to further their education and are choosing UA.

"I would love for everyone at UA to think of distance students in the same fashion they think of on-campus students. It doesn't matter how old they are or where they are, they're UA students choosing UA courses."