News
TI he CI ac I íamas P rint
______ L
WEdNEsdAy, J anuary 17, 2001
Distance learning reaches out with technology
SUSAN COURTNEY
Contributing Writer
Andrews was asked to take on
distance learning in 1996.
“I remember being a little balky.
Using information technologies I didn’t even know what distance
to cross-traditional boundaries of learning was! I am not a very
time, space, organization and cul technology-oriented person; in
ture might sound like the mission fact, my children would say that
of the Star Trek Voyager, but in I’m archaic even.”
fact, it is the goal of distance
Andrews quickly realized the
learning at Clackamas.
significance of online education
Since 1978, when the first tele and propelled herself to learn
courses were developed, Clacka more. In 1997, Andrews and her
mas has been reaching out to staff attended a national confer
students through long distance ence on Internet-based courses
learning. Corre
in Phoenix, Ari
spondence, tele
zona. They re
"It takes a very
courses
and
turned to Or
online courses
egon with the
dedicated student
are offered in
technological
to stick to the
more than 30
information
classes. More
needed to make
course in the
recently, online
“virtual”
online format."
classes have be
classes a reality
Hal Bender
come global.
at Clackamas.
Chemistry Instructor
“We had a
“Since then,
student from
development of
Pago Pago last
online courses
year,” Cyndi Andrews, director of has been very rapid, given the
distance learning at Clackamas, tight budget circumstances of
said in a recent interview.
the last few years,” Andrews
Andrews’ career at Clackamas said.
began 23 years ago as a part-
From the first offerings of five
timer in the reading and tutoring online classes in the fall of 1998,
department. She eventually be Clackamas now offers 35 online
came chair of that department classes, six of which are hosted
when it merged with ABE/GED/ by other colleges but are avail
ESL. In 1993, she became the di able for Clackamas credit.
rector of learning services.
In her long career in education,
Andrews has witnessed many
changes in how information is of
fered to students, and she antici
pates even more technological
expansion.
“More media, especially video,
will be added to online instruc
tion,” Andrews predicts.
“Telecourses and corre
spondence courses will in
creasingly have more web
based discussion groups,
and interactivity will be
possible to allow situa
tions that seem face-to-
face. We may get to a
point where we don’t la-
bel the class a tele
course, or online, or corre
spondence, just simply ‘dis
tance learning.’”
Although the demand for
online classes is steadily increas
ing, expansion in class offerings
is limited, in part, by the time an
instructor must dedicate to cre
ate the course.
“It takes more than 100 hours,
on average, to develop an online
class,’’Andrews said.
Hal Bender and Dave Arter,
chemistry instructors at Clacka
mas, worked together to put
Chemistry 104 online.
“What I like most about the
online format,” Bender relates,
“is that it is one more way of
communicating and making our
Students prepare for Death Valley trip
______ CORINNE RUPP_______
Opinion Editor
A slide show and talk for stu
dents interested in participat
ing in the annual spring break
Death Valley biology trip will
be presented tomorrow from
noon to 1 p.m. in Pauling Cen
ter, room 101.
Death Valley is the largest Na
tional Park in the lower 48 states.
It is one of the world’s hottest
regions and is considered to be
one of the most beautiful parks
in America, according to trip
leader Jennifer Porter.
The trip will be from March 22-
31, leaving the Thursday morn
ing of finals week. The science
department gives three biology
credits for students who partici
pate in the field course, Natural
History of the Southwestern
Deserts (BI 165). The course cov
ers the geology and ecology of
the Death Valley ecosystems of
Southern California.
Student Bill Lutz took the trip
last year and described it as “life
changing.”
“Death Valley is far from a field
trip, it is an experience. It forces
you to look at the world though
new, educated, interested eyes.
This trip is pure inspiration!”
Thursday’s presentation is the
first planning meeting for the trip.
Those interested should attend,
as space is limited to 20 students.
Students need to attend plan
ning meetings and have instruc
tor approval before registering
for the class.
Formore information, contact
Porter in her office in Pauling
Center, room 124e or at extension
2926.
offerings available to students.”
Bender has been teaching at
Clackamas for 31 years, but he
still gets a kick from seeing his
students master chemistry.
“When students put things
o g e t h e r
that they
hadn’t
been able
do be-
e or see
o m e -
thing
that
they hadn t been able
to see, that makes my day!” he
said.
Online students typically are
working towards a degree rather
than taking classes for personal
interests. Self-motivation is an
important character trait for suc
cessful online students.
“It takes a very dedicated stu
dent to stick to the course in the
online format,” Bender said.
“Dave (Arter) has made a point
of trying to increase the fre
quency of contact with the online
students and I plan to continue
doing that to help students keep
progressing with the online les
sons.”
Online classes will continue to
grow at Clackamas, as well as at
the university level, Andrews
said.
But educators doubt
they will ever completely replace
traditional learning. Aside from
the social experiences a campus
offers, many students simply
learn more easily in spontaneous
interaction with the instructor
and other students.
“I still prefer the eye-to-eye
contact with students,” Bender
acknowledged. “To me,
that’s still the best way
to work through prob
lems that a student may
have or to answer the ques
tions that help the student
progress toward under
standing chemistry.”
Andrews confirms that online
courses can be demanding on an
instructor’s schedule, yet there
are advantages.
“Teachers report that it takes
two or three times the work of a
regular class,” she said. “How
ever, they love the flexibility, the
challenge of a new delivery mode
and content, and the idea that
they are helping students
achieve their education goals by
providing flexible course offer
ings.”
»M ike ’ s provfrb of
the week »
Even the nibbling rabbit can
gorge itself to death.
Tibetan
Writers' CLVb C°NteSt
Deadline: Friday, March 2
You may submit up to 3 poems, 1 essay, 1 piece of
fiction, and 1 one-act play. Submit 4 copies of each
entry. Include 1 cover page for each set of entries.
On each entry, include the title and your social security number.
The cover page for each entry should include the title and
category, your name, social security number, address, and
phone number. Include an IBM-compatible 3.5" disk with your
work on it.
All entries will be considered forthe literary magazine
Return entries to Allen Widerburg, S124, ext 2359.
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Last year's Death Valley trippers hold up a canyon wall in Titus Canyon.
FILE PHOTO I Clackamas Print