Wireless instruction: a new dimension in course delivery: when distance learning classes go wireless, the students, faculty, and educational institution can benefit. Along with increased content, the frequency and quality of contact between the two can improve

Management Accounting Quarterly, Fall, 2004 by D'Arcy Becker, Susan Haugen

Only one-third of students in higher education in 2000 were traditional. Nontraditional students want flexibility in terms of the time and location of instruction. (6) Incorporating a wireless telecommunication system in an Internet course is one way to accommodate the need for flexibility for both faculty and students. The most common form of wireless technology is cell phones, and advances in technology now permit properly equipped computers to access the Internet via cell phone dial-up service that uses satellite connections. The main benefit of wireless technology over other forms of DE is that course access is available from any location where cell service is available.

TECHNICAL CONSIDERATIONS

The course management system used by an instructor's institution provides the basis for the Internet course. Familiarity with other DE courses will make the transition to a wireless course easier for the instructor. Course design may anticipate access closer to 24/7 than previously available, but the level of service must be weighed against the instructor's need for flexibility in course management.

There are a number of significant technical issues that should be addressed when setting up an Internet course via wireless technology, including (1) costs, (2) logistical limitations, (3) the availability of technology, and (4) the reliability of technology.

Costs: Using wireless technologies can increase the overall cost of delivering a course. At a minimum, there are additional costs associated with equipment and calling-plan charges. A laptop computer with a wireless modem card, adequate RAM, and an advanced operating system (such as Windows XP) is necessary. Calling plans vary in price and availability based on geographic location, so the type of plan must take into account all locations where access will be desired. More remote locations and more varied locations (Europe, for example) increase the cost of connecting to the course. Students and instructors need not use the same plans or types of equipment.

Logistical Limitations: When the instructor has no office, some course elements that work for a regular DE class may be impossible. Activities that are normal and easy in an instructor's office, such as printing, calling technical assistants about any problems the instructor or students are experiencing, preparing and sending out mailings, and receiving hard copy submissions from students, may become difficult.

Giving up paper copies (such as printing out student papers) may be difficult for some instructors. Course management systems can provide an electronic drop-box system that gives students a place to submit work outside e-mail. These drop boxes can have their own challenges, including capacity limitations and earlier submissions being overwritten by later ones when the submission titles are the same (such as two students uploading a file named "Quiz 1"). Technical assistants can help instructors anticipate and plan to reduce the severity of such problems. For example, students can add their last names to a file's name to prevent overwriting ("Quiz 1--StudentName").