Distance education info, anyone?
I thought this group was about distance education, not educational debates,
politics, and "world news". Can anyone post information on distance
learning, online universities and comparison of quality and cost of schools?
Please???
I work for a smallish college in noth-central Alberta, and without distance
education, many of our students would be without an education. It is expensive
to decentralize our programs, but it is possible. I am currently working on a
project to offer a Practical Nursing Program by distance. This means that the
students would do as much of the theory as possible as distance, but they would
still have to attend a supervised lab and clinical placement.
It is my understanding that even students who are not in remote areas opt for
distance education because of the increased flexibility it offers. Take for
example, and single parent who might prefer evening courses. I guess perhaps
distance education is about providing alternatives.
You raise some interesting questions. I am preparing to begin doctoral work
in a program that is part distance education and part campus based. I can
say that I personally am more looking forward to the campus based. I enjoy
the interaction with my fellow students and feel that they help me do my
best work.
Although I realize this may be more or less relevant depending on the
courses of study, but things like class presentations, class discussions,
and team-based projects are very difficult to get in distance education.
Although I don't think this would be true on every level of education, I've
found in graduate work that some of the most interesting classes are ones
which feature student presentations--since they bring such a variety of
experience to the topic.