Bridging the Digital Divide through Independent Study

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Bridging the Digital Divide through Independent
Study

• AACIS 2004
• Becky Petersen, USD
• Deb Gearhart, DSU

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Is there still a digital divide?

• Simple answer, yes
• This report concludes, in fact, that the result
  of the new technologies may be to deepen the
  divide between educational haves and have-nots
• Gladieux and Swail, 1999

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How is education changing?

• The terms traditional and nontraditional are
  becoming less useful in describing todays
  students. Many students are stretching out their
  education, attending part-time, balancing study
  with work and family responsibilities, attending
  intermittently, and attending more than one
  institution before graduating.
• Gladieux and Swail, 1999

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So why is there a problem?

• While education is the great equalizer,
  technology appears to be a new engine of
  inequality.
• The Web shatters geographical barriers to
  educational access, but it also creates new
  barriers. Virtual universities and online
  programs only help those who have access to the
  appropriate technologies and the training to use
  them.

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So, how can we alleviate this problem?

• Through degree programs delivered by independent
  study
• But, what is out there and how does it compare to
  programs by other delivery methods, mainly
  online?
• Allowing students to receive the financial aid
  and other benefits that they receive with
  traditional classes.
• Changing the perceptions of faculty on campuses
  to understanding the benefits of independent
  study courses.

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Why Change?

• Share one central value the desire to make
  education and professional development accessible
  to all, in a spirit of democratic development.
  (Faille, 1999, p. I)

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• Live a long way from a campus.
• Home bound for any reason.
• On-campus courses do not fit into schedule.
• Ability to study when convenient to the student.
• Economical
• No access to computers due to distance.
• Can begin the course at any time.
• Cannot afford computer and necessary accessories.

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• Widen the access to education.
• Raise the quality by providing training.
• Make resources available.
• Bring new methods and approaches to schools.
• Provides the practice of what they are learning
  by working while applying what they are learning.

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• The only way that the course they want is offered
  at times.

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Print Based courses and programs

• Reviewed Petersons Guide 2003 for any listing of
  print, independent study, or correspondence study
• Of the 177 detailed school listings in the guide,
  35 listed that they had print based components

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• Could not ascertain if the degrees on the
  following chart were strictly by print.

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Print Based courses and programs
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Our Questions to You

• How do we go about getting more print based
  degrees to serve those affected by the digital
  divide?
• How do we deal with other frustrations such as
  not allowing graduate classes to be developed as
  independent study?

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Presentation Discussion

• Suggestions for winning over faculty and
  departments
• Money back to the department
• Suggest doing both print and online and make it
  seamless to the faculty for course maintenance
• Issue loosing courses

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Presentation Discussion

• Promoting to your own campus
• Ad in student paper after drop/add
• Campus wide strategic plan for DE
• Pad of enrollment forms to college advisors so
  student can walk out with signed form
• Keep name out there with give-away items
• Email promotion to students and faculty

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Resources

• Faille, C. (1999, December). Open Learning and
  Distance Education in Canada. Retrieved
  November, 2003 from http//olt-bta.hrdc- drhc.g
  c.ca/resources/CADEAPEC_e.pdf
• Gladieux, L Swail, W (April 1999). The Virtual
  University Educational Opportunity, Issues of
  Equity and Access for the Next Generation. The
  College Board, Washington DC.
• Shrestha, G. (February, 1997). Retrieved
  November, 2003 from the Information and
  Communications Technologies for Development Web
  Site http//www.spu.edu/depts/tesol/TEIS/robson.
  htm
• Tucker, S (2001) Distance Education Better,
  Worse, or as Good as Traditional Education?