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Keeping My Distance. . . Liana F. Fox, Ph.D.Inexhaustible multi-media presentations using audio and video, accompanied by student interaction, immediate feedback, flexibility, accountability, and solid content... What else could a student or faculty member want in an Algebra course? Not much - except maybe a student assistant to help open the mail and grade the hundreds - no, make that thousands- of homework problems!I have been using the Algebra series from Academic Systems software in conjunction with short lectures in my classroom since January, 1998. Gradually, I began offering each of the same courses through Distance Learning. HCC students can now enroll in algebra courses at three different levels - Preparatory, Intermediate and College Algebra. Students in these Distance Learning courses purchase a license for their electronic textbooks. They also receive a set of CDs and a workbook. Using their own ISP, they install the software on their computers and use a personal logon and password to access their account. Once they are online, they proceed through the lessons using my attached syllabus as a guide. Students can check their progress continuously for their level of achievement and time on task. Administrative features include an internal email system, the ability to attach lesson notes and an online Instructional Support System for faculty use in monitoring progress by individual or by class. The new Fall 2003 release will allow for deleting particular topics and adjusting their sequence. Distance Learning is certainly not for everyone. The adjustment for teaching and learning mathematics through Distance Learning is a big one for faculty as well as for students. Over time I have developed a well-balanced course assessment, with equal weight given to mailed-in homework, on-line computer work, and two on-site exams. Now my biggest challenges come in two areas:Faculty-student communications - The challenge: Every Distance Learning student feels he/she is your only student and that you're on 24/7.Student expectations for success - The challenge: To bring students' expectations into the real context of their existing algebra skills and the obstacles presented by their lifestyles. For some reason, students believe Distance Learning makes that all go away!Technology has made producing the course content and the delivery of instruction a breeze. Then what role is left for the instructor? Have you ever been lucky enough (as I was) to chance upon a tour guide in Rome who just happens to be a published historian on sabbatical leave from a local university and who moonlights giving tours? Only then might you understand the faculty's new role in Distance Learning. It's like we've taken a sabbatical from our traditional classrooms and brought our knowledge and experience to a whole new audience - one who might never have had this opportunity and one for whom it becomes very personal.The demand for these courses has been overwhelming! Every section has been filled to capacity. Students are flocking to the Distance Learning option for remediation and for college credit. The proof is in the learning, however, and therein lurks my next challenge - finding time for a one-by-one analysis of why each student was successful or unsuccessful. Those reasons are as numerous and individual as the students themselves.Now that I think about it, my overall analysis of how well learning occurs in these Distance Learning algebra classes is probably not much different from what it was in my traditional classes - or even from what yours is right now. Once the students with seriously deficient foundations or with unrealistic expectations about the outlook for work leave the class, the success rate is pretty darned good. Hello?Dr Liana Fox is a Math Professor at the HCC Ybor Campus. |
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