Imagine not having to get out of bed, rush through breakfast and battle Michigan's bitter-cold temperatures to get to class.
Online technology has made this a reality at many institutions around the country. And recently, the University has begun to explore the information superhighway as an alternative to classroom education.
"We envision technology making it possible for an extended learning environment," said Mark Haas, the University's director of Academic Outreach, a program dedicated to breaking down educational barriers and bringing the virtual classroom to students across the world.
Academic Outreach began less than two years ago and has already made a significant impact on technology in the classroom. The program has helped develop projects such as the School of Public Health's On-Job, On-Campus program. Academic Outreach also has promoted the Virtual Auto U, a joint operation between the University, Michigan State University and the three major automakers - Ford, General Motors and Chrysler Corporation.
The School of Public Health's OJ/OC makes communication between staff, faculty and students possible online with both e-mail and conferencing. Students, however, still must attend a four-day session on campus once a month.
The new Virtual Auto U is a program started by Michigan Gov. John Engler to help automotive workers in the state of Michigan by keeping them up-to-date with automotive technology.
Academic Outreach also had a hand in putting the English Composition Board services on the Net. Now, cyber-tutoring by University ECB tutors is possible off campus. At Murray-Wright High School in Detroit, for example, students can be tutored by ECB members.
Along these lines, Academic Outreach is in the process of creating a college preparation program, complete with CD-ROMs and Internet use, to help prepare high school students for college.
Today is the first day students can link to the Academic Outreach website and get the full listing of the Academic Outreach 1997 spring/summer courses.
"I think we've had some success," said School of Information Prof. Douglas Van Houweling, dean of Academic Outreach. However, program organizers are talking with deans of other colleges in an effort to further expand Academic Outreach, he said.
Barabra Nanzig, assistant dean for Academic Outreach, also has a vision for expansion. "What I would really like to be doing is offering two dozen courses," Nanzig said.
The idea of learning over the Internet is not a new one. The University of Phoenix already offers full degrees over the Internet. Duke University is now offering a Bachelor of Arts program online, and New York University recently announced a program that will allow IBM employees around the world to earn a degree in information science.
Haas sees the University is following a path similar to the program at NYU. "It's just a matter of time before the University of Michigan starts this," Haas said.
The University online
While the University does not offer the selection of long distance learning programs some other schools provide, it is branching out onto the Web.
The College of Engineering offers masters degree programs in automotive engineering and manufacturing for people already working in those fields.
The School of Business Administration has offered classes to employees of Cathy Pacific Airlines in Hong Kong and workers of the Daewoo Group in Korea. The classes, which rely heavily on the Internet and interactive video, also involve short campus visits to the University.
However, potential students hoping for that undergraduate degree over the Internet may have a long wait. Academic Outreach does not offer many undergraduate credit courses at the University.
"We haven't provided much in the way of Internet-based course work," Van Houweling said, adding that he doesn't see the University or Academic Outreach abandoning the classroom.
"For the forseeable future, there will be a residential aspect," Van Houweling said. "I think student-to-teacher interaction is important; also, student-to-student interaction."
But if students want classes taught solely through the Internet, they can look just beyond the Ann Arbor campus.
Michigan State University recently announced plans to offer courses in home computing, nursing, social work and telecommunications over the Internet, and there are tentative plans for even more. Unlike the University courses, which require some time on campus, Michigan State's online classes are taught completely in cyberspace.
"We consider our online courses a success for an initial offering," said Robert Church, assistant vice provost for university outreach at Michigan State. "We expect to offer 8-10 courses next fall."
Eastern Michigan University is not currently offering Internet-based courses, said Jennie McCafferty, associate dean for learning resource and technology. "We will have some ready for the fall. We're looking at some programs."
McCafferty said Eastern Michigan has several people working on Internet courses and trying to decide which ones offer a high-quality education.
The courses' schedule has not yet been determined, but one program is expected to be a computer course for teachers.
"We're looking at some programs," McCafferty said. "There is a lot of interest in it. There is no question there is a market for it. People don't want to come to campus."
Some parts of existing courses at Eastern Michigan use the Internet, and Eastern Michigan already is involved in video conferencing.
Dr. Connie Krustin, a professor of business technology, teaches a legal research course that incorporates the Internet. She said she can see the appeal of Internet courses because at Eastern Michigan, there are many commuters trying to juggle jobs and education.
Cyberspace vs. the classroom
The Internet is not a replacement for the classroom, but rather a valuable educational tool, Krustin said.
"I felt that the face-to-face element is very important," Krustin said. "I would be hesitant to do it all over the Internet. It's a supplemental tool. I don't see it as a replacement," Krustin said.
Many point to the loss of personal interaction as a major drawback to Internet- and technology-based education. The drop-out rate with these type of courses is higher than residence courses at some colleges, but Van Houweling said this will not be the case if students are taking the Internet classes in addition to classes on campus.
"Courses offered to individuals not involved in a learning community have a higher drop-out rate," Van Houweling said. "There is no reason to suppose we will be any less selective for Academic Outreach than is the residential community."
The new mode of learning shouldn't prompt registered students to quit the classes though, Haas said.
"The early indication is people can learn very, very effectively from technology. I think the drop-out rate will be the same as residential classes," Haas said.
Although academic outreach has not been around long enough to get definite numbers on drop-out rates, preliminary figures show a slight increase in Internet drop-outs compared to residential learning students.
"The drop-out rate is somewhat higher than in our on-campus programs - we graduate approximately 80-85 percent of On-Job, On-Campus students and about 95 percent of our on-campus students," said David Perlman, director of academic outreach for the School of Public Health.
But the debate still continues over whether Internet education is a legitimate way to promote learning.
"It depends on the subject," said James Duderstadt, former University president.
Currently, Duderstadt is working to expand education online through the Virtual University and the Virtual Auto U. Although enthusiastic about the possibilities for online education, Duderstadt said the classroom is still at the heart of learning.
"There is quite a bit of evidence that distance learning is very effective," Duderstadt said. "I don't think it will ever substitute for the residential education."
Duderstadt added that elite schools will probably never offer degrees over the Internet.
"The secret is not relying exclusively on the Internet," said Jerome Johnston, adjunct professor in the School of Education and the department of communication studies at the University. "For example, my class of students still meets once a week, but the Internet and Web provide a space for presentations and for continuing work in-between meetings of the class.
"Motivated students can learn from TV or Internet instruction," Johnston continued, adding that the Net has a place in academia.
Duderstadt said online education offers convenience to people who would otherwise be limited by time constraints.
"The real advantage is it releases you of the restraints of space and time," Duderstadt said. "(For) someone who has a job or family, it is very difficult to stop and go to a campus."
Not only does technology-based education provide easy access to an environment of higher learning, it also provides the institutions with the ability to offer it at a cheaper cost. Advances like the Internet and interactive video monitors have made it easier for universities to reach remote sites around the world, expanding class size by as much as four times.
However, institutions that look to the Internet in that context are taking the wrong approach, Duderstadt said.
"I think those institutions that approach the Internet as a cheaper way to educate are going to fail," Duderstadt said.
The future of Internet education
"I could very easily see the bulk of a master's degree being given over the Net," Haas said.
Duderstadt predicts even more.
"Many students, maybe the majority, will get their education this way," he said.
However, Academic Outreach has far to go before it can achieve goals like this.
"The process we're going through now is to educate the campus about Academic Outreach," Haas said. "My hope we can create excitement around the idea."
MARGARET MYERS/Daily
Former University President James Duderstadt was asked by Gov. Engler to head the Virtual University program in Michigan last year. Duderstadt is working on the cyber-project from his office in the high-tech Media Union on North Campus.
| Links to Internet education |
|---|
| http://www.outreach.umich.edu/ |
| Potential students can browse the Spring/Summer course listings for Academic Outreach. The website opens today for these courses. |
| http://www.lsa.umich.edu/ecb/index.html |
| Cyber-tutoring by English Composition Board tutors via the Internet. |
| http://www.outreach.umich.edu/muac/ |
| The University joined forces with Michigan State University and the big three automakers to establish the Virtual Auto College. |
| http://www.outreach. umich.edu/does/prep.html |
| Academic Outreach offers a college prep course on the Internet to help high school students prepare for college. |