Extension Communications
3614 Administrative Services Building
Ames, Iowa 50011-3614
(515) 294-9915
12/13/02
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contacts:
Lynette Spicer, Continuing Education and Communication Services, (515)
294-1327, lspicer@iastate.edu
Kris Phelps, Continuing Education and Communication Services, (515) 294-7329,
kphelps@iastate.edu
Iowa State Delivers Courses That Fit Learners' Lifestyles
During 2002, students from 47 states, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Canada, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Thailand earned credits from Iowa State University through distance learning. Only Alaska, Nevada, and West Virginia didn't have students enrolled in Iowa State's off-campus courses.
Distance learning is most often defined as learning delivered by technology so the student and the instructor are in separate places. Sometimes, the teacher and student meet at the same time, as in courses delivered by the Iowa Communications Network (ICN). Other times, the learner is confined by neither place nor time, as when courses are delivered online or by CD-ROM.
Delivery methods change as technology changes and improves. Iowa State increasingly awards more credit hours to students taking courses online, via CD-ROM, and DVD. During the 2001-2002 academic year, Iowa State offered 97 courses online.
Faculty and administrators select delivery methods that fit off-campus students' lifestyles. Sometimes a mix of delivery methods works best. A new program, Family and Consumer Sciences Education Leadership Academy, incorporates classroom interaction with distance learning. The program targets teachers who want a master's or a doctorate. Students come to campus for several weeks in the summer and then take online courses during fall and spring semesters. The first 19 students came to Ames in July 2002 from eight states, India, and Malaysia. Judging by the inquiries and applications received to date for summer 2003, family and consumer sciences faculty think they will have nearly twice as many students enroll in the program this coming summer.
For more information about the various delivery methods Iowa State uses to help you further your education, check the spring courses by delivery method at http://www.lifelearner.iastate.edu/courses/delivery.htm.
If you'd like to know more about how an online course works, try a free online learning demonstration that features fun facts about Iowa State. The course title is You Can Do It! http://webct.ait.iastate.edu/ISUtools/webhtml/demo.html.
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Extension programs are available to all without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, or disability.