Distance learning no longer looming in the distance

InTech, Dec 2000 by Fussell, Ellen

The main idea is to accommodate the technical professional's complicated life.

Time is a commodity that most cherish yet always need more of, especially those who want to further their careers through advanced education. The Internet has proved over the years to be a savIor for many time-challenged professionals-now more than ever as the e-learning hybrid has blossomed within today's technological hothouse.

It seems obvious why students and professionals would seek the Internet as their educational medium of choice: convenience. But the trick is finding the right mix in this jungle of choices: pertinent degree programs, a wide selection of courses, quality faculty, technologically savvy administration, and of course flexible schedules.

Although e-learning is approaching its growth spurt, it has been looming on the horizon since the advent of the Internet. In fact, Syllabus magazine made seven higher-education predictions in 1999. One was the "career university" and an explosion in the education market, which would elicit responses from the "information age workforce," who would require constant skills updating. It referred to Motorola University, National Technological University (NTU), Jones International, and other virtual universities associated with existing institutions such as Penn State's World Campus, Western Governors University, and the Southern Regional Educational board as prime examples of pioneers in the e-learning arena.

NTU is a cooperative effort by more than 50 U.S. engineering and management colleges whose primary customers are technical companies that want to keep their employees abreast of new technologies. Examples of their clients include IBM, Raytheon, Boeing, Hewlett-Packard, and Motorola. Specifically, NTU serves the advanced educational needs of graduate engineers and technical managers.

NTU is the epit-- ome of e-learning because it doesn't even have a central campus; programs go out via satellite telecommunications and compressed digital video technology to Canada, Mexico, the U.S., and the Asian Pacific. And while this institution doesn't offer undergraduate or Ph.D. programs, it offers 14 master's degree programs for technical professionals.

Examples of online degree programs include master's degrees in computer science, computer engineering, software engineering, and systems engineering. Some specialized courses include "Fundamentals of Digital Image Processing," "Basic Laser Technology for Engineers and Technicians (series)," and "Moving the Supply Chain into the Digital Age: Integrating Demand and Supply."

Tailoring classes to student needs

The main idea is that to accommodate the technical professional's complicated life, students can tailor their degree programs to fit their personal needs; taking electives that fit their job needs right now is one example.

Tailoring is the key word in today's e-learning market. Cenquest, a developer of online business courses and graduate degree programs, was at ISA EXPO/2000 in New Orleans this past August to market its wares.

This e-learning institution also partners with leading universities to offer accredited online business courses and advanced degree programs to engineers and other technology professionals who want to upgrade their business skills or pursue an advanced degree. Students can enroll in specific courses, certification classes, or a master's degree program. Graduate courses and programs target technology, international management, information management, finance, marketing, operations/product management, e-commerce, entrepreneurship, and technology commercialization.

E-learning challenges

Yet with every revolutionary process and its promises, there has to be a downside, right? What about student and teacher relationships? What about social interaction with peers? Some teachers of e-learning also find it challenging to teach in a virtual vacuum, devoid of student expressions and immediate responses of understanding or questioning.

"There are advantages to instructor-led training," said Dale Lee, ISAs director of education services. "Some technical skills are best learned through a hands-on laboratory approach," she added. "It's hard to replace the benefits of interacting with an expert instructor and other technical professionals in a classroom setting. 11

One way to alleviate the interaction dilemma is through e-mail or bulletin boards set up by instructors.

Ken Anthony, an online project management professor at Oregon Graduate Institute and a consultant for Cenquest, builds an 11 online community" for his students in which they can talk about their personal interests and get to know one another via a bulletin board. He also uses e-mail to "reach out" to nonparticipating students.

"It's the instructor's job to pull these students in or solicit other students to ask them questions so that they'll be part of the community," he said. "It's like a student who sits quietly in the back of the room, but online, when you don't participate, you don't exist. It's easy to fall off the team, so I need to watch the participation."