Promising Practices and Challenges: E-advising Special Education Rural Graduate Students

Rural Special Education Quarterly, Fall 2007 by Luna, Gaye, Medina, Catherine

Abstract

Rural graduate students face numerous barriers and obstacles in attending higher education. One such obstacle is academic advising from a distance. The intent of the authors was to examine the advising experiences of master's degree level special education students who had received e-advising from their academic advisor. A short email survey was designed to collect data relating to e-advising received by rural, part-time students. Results of the survey indicated that in-person advising at a university site (traditional advising model) would not have been suitable and e-advising was meeting their needs at this point in their graduate education. The participants also explained that the necessity of being advised in person is no longer valid.

Rural Graduate Students

Mary lives on the Navajo Reservation and is returning to school to earn a Master's degree in Special Education. She is 45-years-old and lives 90 miles away from the university. She has enrolled in online courses at a rural university in the southwest and will be starting this semester. Mary has a question about her program of study: Can she make substitutes for some of the courses? She works full time as a special education coordinator for her school district and therefore cannot drive to the university campus for advisement. She has contacted her advisor via e-mail for counsel on future course scheduling.

A college of education at a rural university in the southwest offers numerous graduate degrees around the state. This university has energetically developed distance learning as a statewide mission, with graduate education courses as one of the major goals. Currently, there are 36 distance-learning "campuses" located throughout the state serving a total of more than 6,500 students in any given semester. Over a decade ago, this university recognized the need for technological advancement, noting future competition in virtual environments, while wishing to retain institutional "heritage for good teaching and service to students" (Connell, 1996, p. 23).

For each of the distance-learning campuses, there is at least one academic advisor assigned to a specific local geographic area. These professional staff members advise students about statewide enrollment in classes, different educational programs, and understanding state department of education certification requirements. The National Academic Advising Association (2000) documented growing academic advising responsibilities of non-teaching professionals at large universities. In some programs, however, full-time faculty members are assigned to advise graduate students who live in communities away from the home campus. Many special education graduate students enroll in online and Interactional Instructional TV (IITV) courses within their degree programs. With many rural special education students living distances from the main campus, how do these students receive academic advising for their programs?

Rural Graduate Students and Distance Learning

Rural graduate students face numerous barriers and obstacles in attending higher education. Beyond access to courses, programs, and degrees, and therefore academic advising from a distance, the literature points to problems and concerns of lack of preparation for graduate-level work, distances to travel and transportation, limited child-care options, financial burdens, socially and culturally environmental factors, and technological challenges ("Rural Students," 2006). The large geographical distances of rural communities complicate institutional goals to reach rural students across the state, and the problem is compounded by the lack of relevant academic advising for these graduate populations.

The participants of this study exemplify adult learning characteristics as found in adult education research. Their life experiences and background provide foundations and connections to their learning. They are usually goal-oriented and seek practical, pertinent learning experiences. They have established opinions, values, and beliefs. They have styles of learning that require a variety of teaching strategies, and they desire a learning environment that is safe, comfortable, and supportive. They want their learning to be applicable in a practical setting, addressing current problems or situations in their career and academic lives. Moreover, the richness of these adults' experiences provides stimulating and interesting dynamics to university learning environments (e.g., Cross, 1992; Merriam & Caffarella, 1991.

Luna and Medina (2005) found that the nature of graduate school for distance learners is being changed and challenged by new demands and the realities of students as well as the infusion of new technologies. The authors' previous interviews with graduate education students at distant and/or rural sites informed the following considerations for practice:

1. The need for graduate student role socialization has changed. Whereas socialization in graduate school in the past might have included orientation sessions and induction into a learning community, current graduate students with multiple personal and professional roles may not have the time or the inclination to become socialized in traditional ways found in many graduate programs. These students are independent and self-motivated.