Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 7, 2000)
On-line courses now a popular alternative ■ Students who don’t want to spend their time in lectures can opt to take classes on-line By Edward Yuen Oregon Daily Emerald Usually, taking a class means at tending lectures and lab sessions for most students. But journalism major Erin Marshall will take a political sci ence class by sitting in front of a com puter and learning the material on her own. Distance Education courses on-line are quickly becoming a popular alter native to normal classes at universities across the country. The number of Dis tance Education programs nationwide has grown 72 percent from 1995 to 1998, according to the Jan. 7 issue of the Chronicle of Higher Education. Web classes at the University started three years ago and are currently of fered in architecture, astronomy, eco nomics, geology, linguistics, political science and physics. Distance Education program coordi nator Sandra Gladney said 510 and 342 students registered in the Distance Ed ucation program in spring and fall terms of 1999 respectively. According to the registration information from the DuckHunt Web site, 365 University students are enrolled in the program this term. Gladney said Web classes allow stu dents away from the University and continue their education without inter ruption. She also said some students in the MBA program who do not have a strong background in economics took Web classes before fall term began. In addition to economics and politi cal science classes, the program offers a new physics class in winter term: physicists’ view of nature. Marshall said she hopes to get the same experience from the on-line class as in regular lecture class that in cludes a discussion session once a week. Jason Kragt, a sophomore business major, took an economics class on-line fall term. He said it was easier for him to manage his time since he did not have to spend time at lectures. However, students enrolled in these classes still have assignments and ex aminations for grade evaluation. Glad ney said the assignments are usually handed in by e-mail. Gladney also said the University has developed a proctoring process for tests and examinations. Students who are not in Eugene can take the exami nations at the Portland Center in downtown Portland. Students can also take tests at the Social Science In structional Lab in Prince Lucien Campbell Hall, on campus. Scott Merryman, the graduate teach ing fellow of the Web micro econom ics class fall term, said not having lec tures in the course is the major difference between regular classes and Web classes. He said students have to be self-paced in learning and take the initiative to learn. In addition, stu dents can contact the GTF by e-mail or go to office hours when they have questions regarding course materials. Merryman also said students who are in Web classes may have difficulty understanding the course materials without a lecture, and is developing a set of lecture notes for his Web class. Financial aid continued from page 1A both sides of the debate. Hake added that she understood how the government could be concerned with students using financial aid money for supporting a drug habit. "Obviously, drugs are bad,” she said. “But if they don’t get financial aid, what other choices do they have except to do more drugs?” Bryan Calza, a senior international studies major, said he thinks there are “dozens” of worse offenses than drug convictions. Denying aid “perpetuates the cycle,” he said. “I don’t think drug convictions should have any bearing on how much financial aid they receive.” Under the new rule, students with convic tions may be ineligible for financial aid for a certain length of time, based on when they were convicted. For example, someone with one convic tion for possession of illegal drugs before July 1, 1999, could still be eligible for aid, while someone who had a conviction for sale of il legal drugs after July 1,1998 wouldn’t be eli gible until one year after the date of their conviction. U.S. Department of Education officials have received feedback on the rule, particu larly pertaining to the issue of double pun ishment, said David Bergeron, chief of poli cy and budget for the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Postsecondary Educa tion. “There have been lots of expressions of concern about the federal law,” he said. Though departmental workers may have personal objections to the law, “the de partment has no flexibility on this issue,” he said. “It must implement the federal law.” Students who are convicted on charges of possessing or selling drugs can regain their eligibility for federal financial aid by par ticipating in a government-recognized drug rehabilitation program. The program must include at least two unannounced drug tests. Convictions affecting financial assistance Students who have prior illegal drug convictions for the following offenses may find their financial aid for the 2000-2001 year in jeopardy: One conviction after July 1,1999, for possessing illegal drugs One conviction after July 1,1998, for sale of illegal drugs Two convictions after July 1,1998, for possessing illegal drugs More than two convictions for possessing illegal drugs More than one conviction for selling illegal drugs Convictions for both possessing and selling illegal drugs SOURCE: FAFSA woricsheet Jim Buch, associate vice president for stu dent academic affairs and interim director for financial aid, said that for students who would be affected by the rule the best bet may be to participate in such a rehabilitation program, because students who are denied federal aid may disqualify themselves from state aid as well. But students should apply whether they think they’ll be eligible or not, he said. “A drug conviction, in and of itself, will not disqualify a person,” Buch said. “It’s not a simple ‘gee, I smoked pot once and I’ve gone to jail and now I’ll never get financial aid.’ That’s not the case.” Buch cited several examples of students with drug convictions in their pasts who would still be eligible for financial aid. If a student was a minor when they were convicted, for example, their record would be expunged when they turned 18 years old. Students with one conviction for selling illegal drugs before July 1,1998, or one con viction for possessing illegal drugs before July 1, 1999, are off the hook — they will not be disqualified from receiving financial aid. 8 ® 1999 VarsityBooks.com We realize we don't have to waste your time explaining the virtues of the Internet. Let's just say that at VarsityBooks.com we've made the most of it. Not only can you save up to 40% on your textbooks, but you'll also receive them in just one to three business days. All on a Web site that's completely reliable and secure. What more do you need to know? Savings oft distributor’s suggested price. Books delivered in no more than three business days. Some restrictions apply. See site for details. SAVE UP TO 40% ON TEXTBOOKS. X VdrsityBooks.com G O T A S T O 11 Y I » E A ? G I V li US A CAL L ! 3 4 <> - 5 511 Emerald
