University Park, Pa. -- A new book on online education recognizes Penn State's World Campus as being "one of the better examples of an institution deciding that e-learning belonged in the academic mainstream, not a separate, for-profit entity."
In "A Classroom of One," Gene I. Maeroff, director of the Hechinger Institute on Education and the Media at Teachers College, Columbia University, and former national education correspondent for the New York Times, traces the history of distance education from its mail-based origins to the online environment of today and examines how it works.
He writes that those educators who "regard online learning as a device apart, an alternate pursuit, an activity to be pushed to the fringes of the institution" are "mistaken. ⦠Why should traditional schools and colleges not embrace e-learning and draw it into the mainstream, making it their own, and adapting their policies and practices to do so? [Online] courses need not be ceded to those who would do a less than excellent job with them."
Maeroff notes that Penn State set up the World Campus with only faculty who had taught in classrooms -- with the goal of extending to new audiences Penn State on-campus curricula.
"Officials at Penn State determined early on ⦠that they wanted an entity to give regular faculty members experiences with technology that they could then apply in their classroom courses," he writes. "Penn State reasoned that if online learning were a for-profit enterprise, it would have to be walled off from regular programs and that the regular programs could then not as readily reap the pedagogical benefits of instructional technology."
The technologically-driven World Campus, which offered its first courses in 1998, evolved from Penn State correspondence study courses that began in the late 19th century. As part of its mission as a land-grant university, Penn State sent through the mail to the state's farmers -- and their families --materials on the latest information on agriculture and home economics. This evolved to include additional courses and students in other states.
Maeroff mentions famous student Ben Cohen of Vermont, who through correspondence in the 1970s learned how to make ice cream. He then teamed up with his childhood friend Jerry Greenfield to found the popular ice cream company Ben & Jerry's.
Maeroff cites the World Campus throughout the book, using surveys of students to demonstrate examples of successful approaches to cyber learning.
In an explanation of how interaction between instructors and students contributes to course satisfaction, he cites a World Campus survey from 2001 stating that 80 percent of students agreed or strongly agreed with the following statements: The technology allowed them "to actively participate in online discussions about the course material." It made it possible "to actively monitor online discussions about the course materials even when I didn't participate." And it supported "the discussion of ideas and concepts taught in the course with other students."
Eight-five percent of students said that they were likely to take another World Campus course.
Without online learning, many people busy with work and family would be unable to pursue an education. These students can log on to the Internet and follow a class whenever or wherever they can.
Maeroff cites the World Campus survey demonstrating that nearly 90 percent of students said the coursework would both help them meet their education objectives and help them meet other professional objectives. "In general," writes Maeroff, "students who adapt themselves to e-learning argue that it breeds satisfaction because it offers more convenience than classrooms in term of time and place."
Indeed, over the past year the World Campus has produced many examples of successes in this vein. Dan Weiser, a 50-year-old Indiana-based student enrolled in the World Campus, was the recipient of Penn State's President's Freshman Award for academic achievement, the first World Campus student to receive the honor. A woman living and working in Japan, Yuki Ikeura, was the first World Campus graduate of the Letters, Arts, and Sciences bachelor's degree program in May. U.S. Air Force Staff Sergeant Juston Losey completed an advanced certificate in the World Campus turfgrass program while stationed in Iraq, receiving an A in two courses.
In addition, the World Campus celebrated the graduation of its first group of adult education master's degree students and has attracted a full cohort of business professionals to its newly launched online MBA program.
Maeroff notes that the classroom of one is not for everyone. But, he writes, "this new delivery system has already staked out a permanent place in education. Its role will be as lasting as that of the computer itself."
For more information, visit http://www.worldcampus.psu.edu/pub/index.shtml