There are a several forms of
distance education courses:
- Independent study courses
- Courses that meet in multiple
locations at a specific time for lectures, course
information delivery, and/or student interaction
- Courses that do not meet at any
specific time, in one or many locations
"Distance education is
based on the premise that students are at the center
of the learning process, take responsibility for their
own learning, and work at their own pace and in their
own place. It is about ownership and
autonomy."
The good news: studies
have shown that below grade students perform better in
distance education courses if they finish them; and that
at-grade or better students perform about the same.
The bad news: students
tend to procrastinate and drop out at higher levels than
in traditional courses, especially below grade students
Conditions for a successful
distance education course:
Course information:
- Course website address
- Instructor's name, office
location and hours, telephone number, fax number,
e-mail address
- Teaching assistant name,
office location and hours, telephone, fax, e-mail
address
- Tutor name, office location
and hours, telephone, fax, e-mail address
- Librarian/research assistant
name, office location and hours, telephone, fax,
e-mail address
- Resource center (RC)
location and hours, telephone number; RC manager
with e-mail address
Logistics
- Course materials you can
expect
- How you will receive the
course materials
- How you will be notified, or
learn, of course announcements and class
cancellations
Technical requirements:
- computing and internet
hardware, platform, and specifications
- software type and version
- multimedia accessibility
Schedule yourself, and
stick to an assignment schedule, that
Schedule yourself
daily/weekly for course communications for
- peer learning/fellow student
interaction via list serves, discussion groups, case
studies, etc.
Often you will be required to work on group projects
or case studies, whether at one location or through
the Internet. See the guides
on group
projects, or case
studies.
- feedback to the instructor
In a face-to-face course, an instructor relies on
feedback from students, whether with questions or
facial/physical expressions. In a distance
situation this is most difficult, and you carry the
responsibility to inform the instructor how you are
doing in the course, whether by appointment or
through phone conversations or e-mail..
- assignment progress and
submission
- progress reports: The
instructor must provide feedback to you on your
progress through the course. Request
an evaluation schedule, conditions, and methods for
your progress through the material. Methods
include
- tests reflecting knowledge
acquisition or performance of tasks
- reports, projects, case
studies, course portfolio, etc.
- qualitative and quantitative
input into course discussions and projects
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