Distance Learning Explodes in Popularity

 

By Kristen King /©2003,

The Virginian-Pilot, Knight Ridder Newspapers.

Distributed by Tribune Media Services International.

 

Critics worry that distance learning lacks the rigor of face-to-face instruction, but experts say neither method is inherently better – provided the teacher and course content are both good

 

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Erin Maple had two children, a fulltime job as a receptionist and a nagging desire to turn her fascination with biology into a career. Three years later, Maple completed an associate’s degree in science at Tidewater Community College (TCC)—her first step toward a doctorate in biology. Forty percent of her classes were conducted online, allowing her to fit class time into her already stretched schedule.

 

“I could do my [course]work at 2 a.m. if I wanted,” Maple said. “I could do my homework sitting on the couch and not worry about babysitting.”

 

Maple isn’t the only student capitalizing on the convenience of cyberspace. School officials realize that most of TCC’s students are not typical college students. Rather than entering college directly after high school, the students at Tidewater are working two or more jobs and often have families. Some are deployed through the military, so they cannot take traditional, face-to-face classes.

 

Easier for teachers, too

 

Teachers are getting more creative in offering courses online. The course offerings via the Internet are expanding to include many fields of study, such as Spanish, algebra and biology.

 

Professor Mike Nickelsburg’s Biology 101 offers coursework online, but students must leave their keyboards three Saturdays a semester for six-hour stints in a laboratory. The professor posts weekly introductions; students then read their textbooks, take a quiz online and e-mail Nickelsburg questions.

 

Robert Ford, an adjunct music appreciation instructor, said, “I’m in communication with each student as an individual all the time.” A CD-ROM accompanies the textbook for his course, and his tests ask students to identify musical excerpts — from Beethoven to jazz — that play via computer.

 

Ford also appreciates the convenience. The online format has allowed Ford to teach two courses while playing the trombone in an Ohio symphony.

Vocabulary Focus

nagging (adj) [5nA^iN] describes something, such as a feeling, that continues for a long period of time and is often unpleasant, irritating or annoying

capitalize (v) [kE5pitElaiz] to use a situation to one’s own advantage

deploy (v) [di5plCi] to move soldiers or equipment to a place where they can be used when they are needed

stint (n) [stint] a fixed or limited period of time spent doing a particular job or activity

 

Specialized Terms

associate’s degree (n) 两年制的学士学位 the qualification given to a student by a college after the student successfully completes two years of study

adjunct (adj) 临时的; 支援的 relating to someone who is part of a faculty or staff on a temporary or supplementary basis

远程教学正在蓬勃发展

王涵恩  译

 

批评者担心远程教学没有面授那么严格，但是专家说，只要提供好的老师和教学内容，两种教学方式并无高下之分。

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艾琳·麦波有两个小孩、一份接线员的全职工作和一个长久的心愿，想将她对生物学的着迷变成职业。3年后，麦波在潮水社区大学完成了一个两年的理科学士课程——这是她朝着生物博士学位迈进的第一步。40%的课程都在网络上进行，使她能在已经十分紧凑的时间表中安排一些上课时间。   

麦波说道：“只要我想，我可以在凌晨两点上课。我可以坐在沙发上做功课，而不用担心请临时保姆。”

麦波不是唯一利用网络之便的学生。潮水社区大学的官员意识到该校大多数学生都不是一般大学生：这些学生并非在高中毕业后直接进入大学，他们不但身兼两到三份工作，而且通常都有家；还有些是派驻在外的军人，因此他们不能上传统的面授课程。

 

老师也更省事   

老师在网络上开课的做法日益创新。网络所提供的课程也囊括了许多领域的学问，例如西班牙文、代数及生物学。

麦可·尼可斯伯格教授的“生物101”课程有网络教学，但是学生必须在一个学期中抽出3个星期六离开计算机键盘，到实验室进行6个小时的实验。教授会贴出每周的课程介绍；学生接下来便自己读教科书、在网络上考小考，以及利用电子邮件问尼可斯伯格教授问题。   

罗伯乐·福特是一位音乐鉴赏课程的兼职讲师，他说：“我随时都以个人身份与每一位学生沟通交流。”他这堂课的教科书附带了一片光盘，而他的考试则要求学生分辨不同的音乐片段，从贝多芬到爵士音乐都有，经由电脑播放。

福特也很感激其便利性。这种网络形式的教学，让福特可以在教两堂课的同时，还能在一个俄亥俄州的交响乐团里演奏长号。