Many faculty believe that in the near future, all faculty in the District will be doing some form of distance learning--which we may define as any mode of instruction that does not involve meeting students in a regularly scheduled classroom. Students want it, and other institutions are providing it. To remain competitive, we must offer it, too.
No one believes distance learning will replace all classroom teaching, but many faculty believe that our teaching loads in the future will all include distance learning in some form.
As we stand on this threshold, many faculty have anxieties about the transition to distance learning. In the Ocotillo committee "Classes without Classrooms," we are exploring these concerns. We have grouped our concerns into three general areas:
Beginning in early December, our committee will conduct a series of open forums to discuss these issues. Our goal is not to provide all the answers but to clarify the questions. All forums will be held on the first Friday afternoon of the month, from 2:30-4:00 p.m. in the Maricopa Room at District Office. All are welcome to attend.
Our first forum will be held on Friday, December 1st. At that time, we will
address issues relating to the logistics of distance learning. We will discuss
who are the faculty to be to teach these classes, what tuition should be
charged, how faculty are to be loaded and compensated, what kind of training
and support faculty should receive, and how much time is really required to
conduct such classes. We want to discuss the application of the Carnegie Unit
to distance learning as well. Other issues we hope to address in this forum
include student support, advising, prerequisites, and the problems of preparing
effective materials for distance learners.
[Forum 1 Transcript]
The next forum, to be held on Friday, Feb. 2. We will address pedagogical concerns in distance learning. We will try to differentiate among effective and ineffective strategies for distance learning in all formats. Among other issues, we will address the amount of work assigned, the amount of student contact needed, and the amount of time that teachers need to allow for effective teaching in alternative delivery modes. In particular, we will try to focus on the need for students to receive timely and meaningful feedback on their work.
The third forum will be held on Friday, March 1. At this time we will turn our attention towards the problem of assessment. We will consider the problem of administering examinations for distance students, and we will look at the issue of verifying that students are doing their own work. We will also discuss the problem of evaluating faculty performance as distance instructors. We will also consider how we may effectively evaluate entire courses.
The final forum in this series will be held on Friday, April 5. At this forum, we will will interview students who have had experience as distance students and ask them to give their views on the issues that we have addressed in the other forums.
General Distance Learning Information
Specific Sites
The Internet Connection at MCLI is
Alan Levine --}
Comments to alan.levine@domail.maricopa.edu
URL: http://www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/ocotillo/cwoc.html