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Home > Featured Stories > Innovation and Discovery > December 2008 > Spotlight on Distance EducationLearning Without Limits
There are a lot of people out there who could benefit from higher education but don't fit the model of a traditional student and can't come to NC State in the traditional sense. So, we have to take NC State to them.
Tom Miller, vice provost for distance education and learning technology applications
Distance Education offers a wide variety of certificate and degree programs to meet the needs of NC State students.
By Dave Pond, Web Communication
At NC State, the opportunities for students to pursue higher education stretch beyond the boundaries of our classroom walls and reach into homes across the globe, thanks to the university's state-of-the-art distance education programs.
"NC State, being a land grant university, has always had a very strong outreach mission," said Dr. Tom Miller, vice provost for distance education and learning technology applications [DELTA] at NC State. "Distance education, e-learning or online education – which it's more commonly called these days – is a true, 21st-century approach to outreach for our academic programs and really extends the reach of the university, not just in North Carolina but worldwide."
Gone are the days of students settling for a limited number of grainy VHS recordings of classroom lectures that they've checked out from the library. Nowadays, NC State students have access to distance education classes from every College, delivered in modes ranging from live, two-way online feeds to virtual laboratories that can replicate the hands-on learning that takes place in on-campus facilities.
"It's been pretty amazing," Miller said. "We've found that most any course can be successfully delivered via distance education."
Distance education has also proven successful for a wide range of types of students. From part-time, lifelong learners to those with family situations or medical conditions that may hinder access to the traditional classroom, distance education students run the gamut in terms of age, race, gender, geographical location and life circumstance.
"Distance education provides an opportunity to reach a more diverse population," Miller said. "There are a lot of people out there who could benefit from higher education but don't fit the model of a traditional student and can't come to NC State in the traditional sense.
"So, we have to take NC State to them."
Late-night television and magazines carry advertisements for a number of online "universities" and other profit-driven schools into the households of potential NC State students on a daily basis. What separates NC State's distance education program from its would-be, virtual competitors is a desire to live up to the historic reputation that educators and administrators have built on campus over the years.
"We have been very deliberate to ensure that the quality of our online courses and programs is equivalent to the programs that happen on campus," Miller said. "We don't want to dilute the NC State brand name in any way, and we want to make sure that our distance education courses and programs are recognized for the same level of quality.
"We believe that distance education is a delivery mechanism – it's like an alternative to the classroom, and in no way is it a watered-down or different type of program," he said. "We have the same rigid requirements and utilize the same faculty.
"That's very important to us, and I think our students recognize that."
A recent study by the University of Wisconsin's E-Business Institute found that 82 percent of undergraduate students surveyed said they would be willing to explore an online option for courses rather than coming to a traditional classroom or lecture hall. A key finding, Miller says, was that the undergraduates had a clear preference for classes that offered lecture capture for concurrent or later viewing.
"Many students today prefer podcasts and other forms of online delivery of lectures as opposed to the classroom," he said. "This is new – and this is a brand new study – but it is certainly consistent with the kinds of trends we've seen."
In fact, the fastest-growing segment of distance education population are not those located a half a world away, logging onto the NC State system internationally, but rather those traditional students who attend classes on campus and have found that distance education offers them greater flexibility in planning their daily schedules.
"If you look at a full curriculum, there are a number of courses that lend themselves well to this kind of environment," Miller said. "It's very convenient for students to be able to register for distance education courses without having to block out certain times when they might otherwise need take another class, work or attend to other commitments."
The increase in flexibility has proven beneficial to NC State faculty members as well.
"We have faculty who go on sabbatical or are not here for the summer, but through the distance education technologies in place at NC State, they can continue to teach their classes as they normally would," Miller said. "For example, one of our DELTA staff members is teaching a course within the College of Education, and although she has been out of the country for a few weeks, she's able to keep her class going and progressing as normal.
"Anywhere she has an Internet connection, she has access to her classroom."
Which – in itself – seems to be the underlying message behind distance education at NC State.
"The thing that really makes me happiest is when I see that we are truly making a difference in the lives of a lot of students – whether those are traditional or non-traditional students – and that we are increasing access to some excellent academic opportunities," Miller said. "I hear all the time from people that are taking advantage of distance education – they are very appreciative of the opportunity.
"That's what keeps us all coming to work every day."
