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Need
a Course From Afar? ODU’s Teletechnet Makes It
Easy
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Virginia
Business
July
2003
Increasing
a student body by 10,000 is no small commitment. So
when Old Dominion University President Roseann Runte
announced in April that the Norfolk-based university
was willing to do that — without adding classrooms
or faculties — it certainly sounded impossible.
However, ODU was already well on their way to meeting
that target with an ambitious initiative called Teletechnet.
Teletechnet
is ODU’s interactive distance education program
designed for part-time students who can sign up for
classes in more than 60 remote learning centers. The
program also offers a variety of alternative learning
formats such as video-streamed courses directly to someone’s
home or office computer and archived courses accessible
at any time over the Web. Students can also take courses
via CD-ROM, a method currently being used to teach courses
on Navy submarines at sea.
ODU’s
distance learning initiative is unlike most traditional
programs in that they have partnered with every community
college in Virginia and developed a number of stand-alone
higher educational centers, creating a statewide network
of on-site learning facilities. Each location is linked
via two-way technology, giving students access in a
variety of urban, suburban and rural locations. Courses
are taught in real-time and participants interact via
two-way video and audio. Besides community colleges,
the Teletechnet network includes hospitals, corporate
sites and even aircraft carriers, which receive a live
weekly satellite feed that continued even through the
recent Iraq war.
Other
large universities provide distance learning, mostly
via the Internet. The University of Maryland University
College (UMUC) currently has 80,000 students worldwide,
and the University of Phoenix reports a student body
of about 140,000, with a third of those students enrolled
in online degree programs. What sets ODU’s program
apart is the university itself. ODU is a research institution
where the faculty has a dual role. Professors must teach
but they are also involved in research — in other
words they create their own knowledge. That is one of
the basic differences between a for-profit teaching
institution such as UMUC and a non-profit institution
such as ODU.
The
idea for Teletechnet began in 1984 when the state looked
to universities such as ODU for help in providing education
to its constituents in a cost effective manner. At the
time ODU offered courses through the local Public Television
channel and via microwave to select sites in Hampton
Roads and the Eastern Shore. Expanding with Virginia’s
help in 1994, ODU developed a way to deliver a quality
educational program that was affordable for students
and cost-effective for the university.
ODU
built the Teletechnet program around two fundamental
concepts: Creating access to programs that were economic
engines for Virginia such as business, technology, the
health sciences and undergraduate engineering; and delivering
courses over a low-cost framework. From the beginning,
Teletechnet required the involvement of the community
college network and offered baccalaureate-level programs.
“The key to our success is that we have adopted
a multi-technology strategy that is not one-size-fits-all,”
says Anne Savage, vice provost for distance learning
at ODU. The university has invested heavily in technology
that enhances the distance-learning experience. It also
takes pride in the training the faculty receives so
they understand how to use the technology. “Our
faculty likes the distance training rooms so much they
would like all the rooms on campus to have their capabilities,”
says Savage. “One benefit is that 81 percent of
our faculty say they are better instructors as a result
of teaching in the Teletechnet building.”
The
statewide network is also a tool for hiring adjunct
professors, especially for the MBA program. ODU can
recruit an adjunct professor from Northern Virginia
who can live and work there while teaching from one
of the higher education centers or a local community
college.
Recently
corporate support has lagged for Teletechnet and other
degree programs. A tough economy means companies are
less likely to provide training rooms, time off for
classes or basic funding. In fact, now-a-days employees
feel lucky if their company picks up all or part of
the tuition. However, the lack of support hasn’t
stopped many executives from investing their own money
and time in advancing their skills and career.
Since
it’s inception in 1984, Teletechnet has graduated
more than 2,000. The most encouraging sign for President
Runte is that Teletechnet students currently represent
25 percent of the total student body — well on
the way to her goal of 10,000.
One community college that has greatly benefited from
the Teletechnet program is Rappahannock Community College.
Serving a 3,000 square mile territory along Virginia’s
Eastern Shore, RCC offers campuses in Warsaw and Glenns,
which are about 40 miles apart and a one-hour drive
due to the rural nature of the area.
“We
are enjoying the partnership we have with ODU,”
says Leslie Smith, Dean of Technology and Distance Learning
at RCC. “We were looking for a way to offer four-year
degree programs to our region and because of Teletechnet,
we can.”
One
of the primary drivers of two and four year distance-learning
programs at the college is the Center for Business and
Workforce Development. The Center provides a program
of continuing education to respond to the training needs
of businesses in the college’s service area and
to enhance community and economic development of the
region. Areas of need include K-12 teachers, healthcare
– especially nursing – and information technology.
“The
greatest challenge is how vast and rural our service
area is,” says Smith. “Our primary mission
is access and because of the distance and some of the
unusual work habits of our residents, we needed to find
creative ways for them to receive an education besides
the traditional format.”
To
facilitate training in the area RCC developed the FLO
Program – Flexible Learning Opportunities. The
first form of delivery is called synchronous education
that is delivered at RCC via Interactive video technology.
This form of distance learning is very much like traditional
instruction except that occasionally the teacher is
physically separated from the students, but both students
and the instructor can be seen and heard over video
technology synchronously, at the same time. The students
are still required to attend class at an appointed time,
but can attend the courses at either of RCC’s campuses.
The
second form of delivery is asynchronous education in
which the teacher and the students are separated not
only by distance but often by time as well. For example,
RCC offers a variety of distance learning delivery formats
such as directed study, telecourses, interactive computer-assisted
courses along with Web courses or online courses. These
courses require that students take on much of the responsibility
for their learning in an independent format while being
directed or facilitated by the instructor throughout.
Many
RCC students work full or part time jobs at odd hours.
This would include shift work at factories and hospitals,
and working on fishing boats, which put students out
to sea for extended periods of time. Although RCC offers
many types of programs, that doesn’t mean students
never have to come to campus. But the opportunities
for learning are more flexible for a group that otherwise
could not get an education.
“Even
at a distance I like to think that local people would
rather use our services than, say the University of
Phoenix,” says Smith. “With two physical locations
within driving distance we can provide a higher level
of local service – even if by telephone –
and we think people like that.”
RCC
began its distance learning program in 1995, starting
with eight courses. Now they offer more than 70 courses,
with degrees in general studies, business administration
and a number of certificates in areas like computer
technology and child care. The average class size for
distance learning is about 30 students – the same
as with traditional courses. The college believes that
a quality experience needs a lot of interaction between
other students and the teacher that can only be achieved
through smaller classrooms.
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