Rapid advances in telecommunications technologies are dramatically increasing the options and opportunities for reaching non-traditional college audiences throughout Montana, the nation and the world. The interest in anytime/anywhere learning and "education on demand" is evident by the dramatic increase in the investment in technology and the availability of distance learning courses and programs from all factions of the education community.
In a few short years we have gone from a primarily one-way distance learning environment, usually via broadcast television or satellite downlink, to an environment that provides two-way audio and video interaction between multiple sites in real time (video conferencing) and a wealth of asynchronous interactive options available via the Internet and World Wide Web. Assuming that the use of information and distance learning technologies in higher education is a current fad that will disappear is most likely dangerous. As Dede argues, "The two most common errors in impact assessment are to overestimate how soon a new technology will change society and to underestimate the magnitude of its eventual effects" (156). In such a rapidly changing technical and regulatory environment it is very difficult to know where to expend appropriate time, energy and resources.
Montana is no exception to this rapidly changing environment. It is an excellent test-bed for identifying effective and affordable uses of technology that can reach distant learners and clientele in rural and remote geographic locations. The advantages are many. We are now able to serve an audience eager for the education and resources available from higher education who, for a variety of reasons, cannot participate in the traditional campus experience. We are able to immerse students in active learning at a distance, engaging them in interaction that is sometimes considered more robust and effective than the traditional classroom environment. We are better able to provide lifelong learners with professional and personal development resources in this rapidly changing society.
In addition to serving new audiences, there is little doubt that student demographics are changing. According to a recent study conducted by Columbia University Teachers College, "only a sixth of America's college students fit the stereotype: full-time students, living on campus." The five-sixths of America's college students who don't fit the stereotype understand clearly the value of higher education, but are seeking a different relationship with a college that is more directly related to service, convenience, and quality control (Traub, 116). Statistics show that 29 million Americans work at home and that during his or her working life a person will work for five different companies and have ten different jobs. Distance learning and information technologies allow us to meet the needs of this emerging group of lifelong learners.In spite of the advantages, it is important to note that the availability, capability and use of distance learning technologies is not a perfect world. Not all content lends itself to effective teaching and learning using technology. Not all technology is appropriate for the audience that an instructor is trying to reach. The key to the successful deployment and use of new technologies is to identify appropriate delivery mechanisms that are effective for the instructor, the content, and the intended audience. What is the topic? Who is the audience? What technology is available to both instructor and student? What technology is cost effective and commensurate with the program budget?
There are currently several options used effectively in Montana. Satellite uplink and downlink, television broadcast, pre-produced video tapes and audio conferencing have been used by many institutions for a number of years. Two new options are becoming widely accessible to both faculty and students. Video conferencing provides real-time interaction with students at distant sites. The use of telecomputing and the WWW provides access into the home or work-place. Mixing and matching these technologies is not only common, it is one of the most effective methods for maximizing the distance learning experience.
Two-way interactive video conferencing technology is becoming widespread throughout Montana and the world. This technology allows participants at multiple sites to see and hear one another. Sessions are conducted in real time and most often require participants to travel to video conferencing sites at a specific time to participate in a course or program. Increasing opportunities for video conferencing to the home or desk-top are on the horizon. There are a number of sophisticated and reliable video conferencing networks currently available in Montana. Managed by different entities, each has its own unique organizational structure, fees, and operating procedures.
METNET (Montana Educational Telecommunications Network), funded by the State of Montana and managed by the Montana Information Services Division, is now available in 14 sites throughout the state. In addition, several sites such as the University of Montana in Missoula and Montana State University-Bozeman, have multiple video classrooms for conducting simultaneous courses. METNET also provides connectivity to commercial and educational video conferencing sites nationally and internationally.
The VisionNet video network is owned and operated by a consortium of independent telephone cooperatives from northern Montana. This network now includes sites in over 40 locations throughout the state. A majority of the sites are located in public schools in very small rural communities, and use of the network is divided between K-12 schools and other network users including higher education. Educational programs including K-12, undergraduate and graduate coursework are currently offered and commercial video conferencing sites are planned for the future.Other Montana video networks include services offered by Mid-Rivers and Range telephone cooperatives in eastern Montana, the Eastern Montana Telemedicine Network, the Montana Telepsychiatry Network, and the REACH (Montana Telemedicine Network) out of Great Falls. Each of these networks has a unique niche in the Montana telecommunications landscape and provides a significant service to its clientele.
Video conferencing is an effective tool for educators. Although originally designed for the corporate training and boardroom environment, education has been quick to adapt video conference design for distance learning. The advantages are quickly evident when equating it with the traditional classroom environment. All students and faculty can see and hear one another. Content can be presented in a traditional lecture format along with multi-media materials that are viewed simultaneously by all participants. Multiple sites are possible and many networks can connect more than 25 sites simultaneously. Most practitioners, however, will tell you that six sites is the maximum you would want to connect and still hope for any true semblance of interactivity among the participants. User training is minimal for technical operations within video classrooms and individual installations vary in their use of classroom technicians or operators. This use of operators is primarily an issue of personal preference, education philosophy and economics. Sites at MSU-Bozeman, for example, always utilize technicians in the classroom so that the professor can focus on teaching and students rather than the equipment. Other video conferencing sites encourage faculty and other users to learn minimal technical aspects of the system to eliminate the additional cost of technicians.
In addition to technical expertise, there are tips, tricks and skills to improve the use of video conferencing as a teaching tool. Preparing materials well in advance, effective use of multi-media materials, small group work and interaction, routine communication with individuals at the distant sites throughout the class, and use of site facilitators are all part of the faculty development provided at many institutions such as the Burns Telecommunications Center at MSU-Bozeman and the Office of Distance Learning at MSU-Northern. As with any new endeavor, advance planning and preparation for using this new delivery mechanism have a significant payoff for both the instructor and the students.
A second delivery mechanism that affords us the opportunity to reach new audiences and explore the concepts of active, student-centered learning in a distance environment is the use of the World Wide Web. The WWW provides a graphical interface, connections to resources world wide, two-way communication between multiple users, and, in the not-to-distant future, will provide video and audio communications to the average user home and desk top as well. An additional advantage of the WWW-based delivery is the ability to conduct courses or programs at times and locations that are convenient and available to the end user. Conferencing might be conducted in real time; however, even more effective communication is often conducted asynchronously at different times for each user. Everyone is able to participate in the full course discussion, from a time and place that is compatible with his individual lifestyle.
In order to participate in WWW based coursework, faculty and students must have access to a computer and the Web. Internet service is now available throughout Montana by various internet service providers. Although this method of delivery requires the student to have personal or community access to a computer and the Internet, the ability to "attend" class from the home or workplace at times that meet individual needs may be a tremendous advantage for certain audiences and programs.
As with video conferencing, training, development and technical support is critical for both faculty and students. Advance preparation and materials development are even more important in this environment due to the lack of real-time video delivery. On the other hand, it is fertile ground for actively engaging students in the learning process, integrating creative multimedia resources, and creating a rich environment for student-faculty and student-student interaction. The lack of traditional teaching structures in this medium (i.e., ability to conduct real-time lectures face-to-face) has led faculty to re-think their approach to teaching and learning, and many have discovered the value of asynchronous and distributed teaching/learning techniques for both traditional campus and distance learning courses.
It is only by establishing a vision for what we are trying to create that we can use these technologies effectively. Institutions must focus on their individual strengths, goals, programs, and audiences that can be best served by distance learning. It is this vision that will allow us to effectively utilize the video conferencing networks and internet service providers available today, and the many new technologies that will be available in the near future. Sherron and Boettcher (32) describe this vision:
With vision we will make wise decisions in our investment in terms of technology and in personnel--and in our buildings and program offerings. Without the vision, without the gradual accommodation, severe ruptures will occur. An analogy might be made to an earthquake. The changes that are coming will without doubt shift the very ground and foundations of our institutions.... Each institution has its strengths and weaknesses, and each institution will target future opportunities based on people's visions and energies and opportunities. The needs are great. If we work together and build appropriate alliances between sectors of the society and infrastructure,we sill serve our people and our supporters well.
It is tempting to focus on the toys and the technologies that are changing the way we live, work and play. However, no matter what technology is employed, the importance of a specific tool or method of delivery will always be secondary to the role of content, teaching and learning in the distance-learning debate. It is also tempting to see technology and distance learning as a mechanism for cutting costs and generating additional revenue. In reality there is a significant cost, both in human capital and technical infrastructure, and debate will continue over the long-term cost savings and revenue related to distance learning. Adapting organizational structures, policy and procedures to recognize the benefits of utilizing new delivery mechanisms is no small task. "The major challenges in pioneering such services are not technical capability and economic sustainability, but organizational coordination and front-end investment" (Dede, 7).
The technologies described above are all available and used effectively by senior faculty at many Montana institutions for both on-campus and distance courses. Many are leading the exploration and implementation of the new teaching and learning paradigm described by Sherron as a "gradual shift to active and collaborative learning, and increased communication between faculty and students and between students, and more active involvement of students with real-world complex problems." It is not a question of which network or type of technology is the best. It is a question of how we can best utilize technology to take advantage of valuable opportunities: the ability to reach new audiences, meet the needs of lifelong learners looking for the resources, adapt to a changing population of non-traditional students, and explore the unlimited potential for creating truly improved and effective learning environments.
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Sherron, D., & Boettcher, J.V., (1997). Distance Learning: The Shift to Interactivity. CAUSE Professional Paper Series, #17. Colorado: CAUSE.
Traub, J. (1997, October 20 & 27). Drive-Thru-U. Higher Education for People Who Mean Business. The New Yorker, 114-123.