Evaluation of a Distance Learning Program
North Carolina State University
Distance Education Degree Program
(NC Teach)
Heather Parker
EDIT 565
Doctor Javeri
April 9, 2008
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Distance
Education,
an
ongoing
experimental
education
tool
to
accommodate a wide range of individuals, allows these individuals to participate
in and complete academic courses while living a full-time life. Today, the average
person lives a full life. What I mean by that is a woman in her thirties might work
full-time, take care of a home and a family. Similarly, a younger man in his
twenties might have to provide for himself and unlike others in his age group who
can attend college on a full-time basis, he cannot because he has bills, rent and
food to consider. Conversely, a well-adjusted woman like my mother, who is
free of her children and has lots of time on her hand, just cannot afford to spend
the energy it takes to drive to a college campus and spend four (4) to eight (8)
hours a day there. That’s where Distance Education comes in. The thirty (30)
year old woman, the twenty-something year old man, and the well-adjusted sixtysomething year old lady can participate in and complete those academic courses
and reach their goal of certification, a degree and the like. Recently I reviewed
North Carolina State University’s Distance Education program to see what they
are about. What do they have to offer? Do their on-line courses offer the same
quality instruction as their in-class (or face-to-face) courses?
North Caroline State University (NCSU) claims their on-line courses offer
the same quality instruction as their in-class courses. Students in the Distance
Education Program at NCSU voice their affirmation of the program in a podcast
form on the schools webpage.
NCSU offer degrees through the College of
Agricultural & Life Sciences, College of Education, College of Engineering,
College of Humanities & Social Sciences, College of Management, College of
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Natural Resources, and College of Textiles. Although the Distance Education
Program does not offer the same number or types of degrees, they cater to
students seeking certificates and graduate degrees, primarily. The College of
Textiles offers an Undergraduate Certificate as well as a Graduate Certificate.
The College of Humanities & Social Sciences offers a BA Degree Completion
Program. The courses range African Studies to Textiles.
I am most interested in Education Certificates and Degrees offered
through Universities Distance Education Programs.
do they assess students?
Are they accredited? How
The Distance Education NC Teach @ NC State
program is accredited by SACS and NCATE, just as some of our local California
Colleges are. The University has an established IT community to assist students
and instructors alike.
The students use a WebCT program called VISTA, a
program similar to the California State Universities WebCT Blackboard. Students
in the DE program are required to own a computer or have access to a computer.
The formats used are Internet, Media based (DVD, CD-ROM), Cable Television,
NC-REN/Interactive Video and On-site.
They use a “set of internet-based
software tools that allows instructors and students to interact via the Web”, called
a Learning Management System.
As mentioned, they use WebCT Vista,
Elluminate, Wolfware and WebAssign. Elluminate is an internet tool that allows
people to communicate via webcam and microphone with other people. It is
similar to Skyype, another internet tool that offers the same avenue for
communication.
Tools like Elluminate allow students to communicate with their
instructor and/or other students without meeting face-to-face. WebCT allows
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instructors to communicate with students, outline expectations for the course,
post assignments, oversee class discussions on-line, post grades on-line – which
allows both the student and the instructor to participate in the course without
meeting face-to-face. The staff reminds students how to succeed in Distance
Education because there are fallacies that DE is easier, it is self-paced, etc.
However, the difference between distance education programs and in-class
programs is location.
Sarah Guri-Rosenbilt states “Instead of assembling
students from dispersed locations in one place, it (Distance education) reaches
out to students wherever they live or wish to study” in her article ‘Distance
education’ and ‘e-learning’: Not the same thing. (Higher Education (2005)
49:469). NCSU instructors and staff wish to empower their students to succeed
in these on-line courses just as they would if the students were sitting with them
in-class. Their web page is user-friendly. It caused a spark of curiosity in me to
find out more about their courses; I thought, “I would like to be a part of this
community”.
I emailed a professor who leads the NC Teach program and he
promptly replied to my email and answered my questions.
Additionally, he
offered to talk with me over the telephone to discuss their Distance Education
program in further detail.
On a scale of 1 to 10, North Caroline State University gets an 8 for good
use of web design, the web page is user friendly and informative, they offer a
wide range of courses as well as degree/certificate programs through their
Distance Education programs and the University itself is behind the expansion of
Distance Education and e-learning campus-wide. Additionally, they have a fully
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established IT (technical) support system that not only supports its students, but
its faculty as well. As an on-line community of educators, let us keep our eye on
North Caroline State University and Universities like it that offer outstanding
Distance Education Programs that are easy to process, user friendly, welcoming
and supportive.
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INDEX
1. Guri, R. (2005). “Distance education’ and ‘e-learning’: Not the same thing.
Higher Education, 49, 467-493.
2. North Carolina State University – Distance Education Program
http://www.distance.ncsu.edu
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