Distance Learning Meets Students' Needs

BENTONVILLE -- Use of NorthWest Arkansas Community College's distance learning program continues grow in a time when overall enrollment has been less than optimal, Kate Burkes, director of distance learning, told the college's board of trustees Monday.

Burkes gave an update about the school's distance learning program at the board meeting Monday afternoon.

"The growth in distance learning across the nation has been phenomenal the last 20, 25 years," said Steve Gates, senior vice president for learning and provost. "NWACC's story is no exception."

Distance learning has become a huge part of the college's delivery system, he said.

The program provides expanded access for students, Burkes said.

"There's a lot of students now, especially nontraditional students that would not be able to attend college if they were not able to access distance learning classes," she said.

The college has four delivery methods: 100 percent online classes, a hybrid of usually 50 percent classroom and 50 percent online, traditional classroom-based classes and interactive video-conference classes.

Most students use multiple methods, Burkes said.

The college offers 105 different online courses. There will be 270 online sections this fall semester, according to Burkes' presentation. There will be 870 students taking online classes only. There will be 66 out-of-state students from 16 states that will take online classes this fall.

There will also be 45 hybrid sections this fall, according to the presentation.

Ric Clifford, board chairman, commented that two things the college wants to strive for is access and quality. He asked about the quality of online courses.

The completion rate for online courses is about 5 percent lower than those of lecture classes, Burkes said, explaining that it depends on the course.

Deirdre Slavik, psychology faculty member, said she was skeptical of the online delivery method when she started teaching online courses 10 years ago.

She said she's had two epiphanies since then. The first was that they aren't going to go away because they fill an important need for students.

"They need this format," she said. "It's going to grow, and that's my job. My job is to figure out how to get these students enrolled in these classes a high-quality education that is comparable to what they would get in a classroom."

The second, she said, was that she noticed students had to be more involved in online classes for them to do well.

"They require a high degree of active learning," Slavik said. "They require a high degree of engagement, and if well done, an online class can provide a really great learning experience for students."

NW News on 08/12/2014

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