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DISTANCE LEARNING



SORRY FOR REPOSTING, IT WAS PROBABLY LOST

I participated in the NSF-sponsored workshop on distant learning (DL)
this week. Here are some observations.

1) We are going to face the DL issues very soon; the present system is
not working and anything that promises to do the job will be tried.
Especially if the substitution is also less expensive.

2) Some say that DL is for special students only (working adults, and
others who are not able to participate in regular class activities),
others believe it is "the way of the future" for a large majority of
college students.

3) Some say those who participate in the development of DL are "digging
their own grave". Others think it is "the only way to survive" in our
less than perfect world. Many, including myself, consider DL to be a
challenge. They climb the mountain because the mountain is there. Only
experiments will show if better results (than what is common on many
campuses) can be delivered by the alternative. Who said that the very
first (OK, the second) method of passing information from a generation
to a generation is the best?

4) Students learning at home will depend on Internet browsers. An
interactive tool for students and teachers (a software layer above
a browser) is often needed. Such tools are being developed very
intensively. For example, TopClass and webCT, which do not depend on
special software to be sent to each student, or FirstClass, which does.

5) Technical support (for both teachers and students) is essential. At
Mercy College, for example (where the workshop was conducted), there
are 400 DL students and about ten DL teachers, including adjuncts.
They are supported by two full time experts and by several students
hired to answer questions over the help line (7 days a week, 16 hours
a day). Experts select and train help-liners, make sure the system is
working, and help teachers who encounter difficulties with the TopClass
tool. Students who have difficulties with specific hardware or software
call technical support, not teachers. That is very significant.

6) Publishers are trying to promote textbooks by offering their servers
to support distance learning. In my opinion this approach is more
attractive than having a home-based system with technical experts,
especially for small institutions. The International Textbook Publishers,
for example, offer free support for all users in any course for which at
least 30 textbooks were purchased. The quoted book prices were more or
less the same as from other publishers.

I think this is a good way to begin. The URL of their science publishing
branch (Brooks/Cole) is < http://www.brookscole.com>. Their e-mail is
<info@brookscole.com>. Ask for their WorldClass Start-Up guide, and for
the catalog of textbooks. Other publishers are probably also active in
the DL field. Please share the information you may have on this. Also
about how technical help is implimented in other places.

7) In my opinion the issue of "constructivist" teaching is often confused
with the DL issue. Both face-to-face and DL can be used to promote
constructivism. Which one is better? The issue of the laboratory
component of physics must also be addressed. Some people think that DL
can coexist with face-to-face activities, for example 30% of activities
on the campus and the rest at home. At Mercy College stdents are
expected to take mid-term and final exams (if required) on the campus.
Those far away may take it in designated proctored locations, such as
a local high school or a library.

8) I suggest we keep our eyes open on this important development and
share what we know (and think) about it.

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Physical reality does not have to agree with our ideas. But in physics
our ideas must agree with that reality. Otherwise it is not physics.

Ludwik Kowalski kowalskiL@alpha.montclair.edu, MS at MSU, New Jersey
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