Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, April 27, 1995 TAG: 9504270068
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ALLISON BLAKE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: DUBLIN LENGTH: Medium
But ODU's program, called Teletechnet, is more convenient and offers a curriculum that more closely focuses on Viers' career of choice, said the Draper student. And even though his professors are teaching a score of students at sites around the state, Viers believes he gets more individual attention in his studies to become a guidance counselor.
"When I went to Radford, the classes were bigger," said Viers, 21, who spent one semester there. "It's like the professor has so many students to deal with, you don't get that much one-on-one attention. [Now], you leave a message on e-mail or the phone; they get back to you immediately."
Viers isn't the typical Teletechnet student -most of them are older, with established jobs, families and schedules. The distance-learning program, part of a national trend that experts say will grow, gives them their only access to higher education.
The state is preparing for an estimated 20,000 additional college students in the next 10 years, and most are older, with families or careers. It would seem Teletechnet may be ahead of the curve: Already, 20 percent more students than anticipated have enrolled. This year, 3,400 students registered. By the year 2000, Teletechnet expects 12,000 students.
Old Dominion President James Koch visited Wednesday with students and administrators at New River Community College, one of 13 community colleges in the state that offer Teletechnet. In this first year of the program, New River is offering four degree programs: engineering technology, nursing, human service counseling and criminal justice. Thirteen students registered for classes last fall; 45 registered for the spring semester.
Students include people like Donna Barbetti, a full-time nurse. She has two teen-agers. Teletechnet offers courses during evenings and on Saturdays. She told Koch she appreciates the flexibility.
If she misses a course, she can make it up by checking out a videotape.
Teletechnet students first must earn associates' degrees from community colleges. They finish up through Teletechnet, earning bachelor's degrees from ODU, paying as much as $8,000 for those final 60 credit hours. If they lived at Old Dominion - and paid the many campus fees - they would pay at least $20,000, Koch said.
Some first-year glitches have arisen. Students in a course called "Navigating the Internet," for instance, need a phone next to the computer so they can call for technical assistance without running to the pay phone in the hall.
And agreements between the community college and ODU need to be ironed out so that students who are taking required New River courses don't repeat the same courses under ODU's graduation rules. For instance, Viers said he took two classes "that were basically the same" as those he took for his associate's degree.
"But of course, the professors gave different perspectives and views. [I'm] not saying I didn't learn anything from the two classes, but I could have taken another two classes," he said.
Administrators from both schools said they thought most of those differences could be worked out by faculty. Overall, Teletechnet received a hearty thumbs up Wednesday at New River, where students and administrators alike thanked Koch for the program.
Whether distance learning poses a competitive problem for the area's locally based colleges and universities remains to be seen.
"It's too early to tell," said Peter Balsamo, who runs Radford's continuing education. "There's no question ... many institutions are looking at this as a way to make their curricula accessible - distance learning, whether by satellite or computer."
Deborah Brown, Radford University spokeswoman, said programs like Teletechnet, along with aggressive recruiting by private colleges, all may dip into Radford's historic pool of recruits.
"The environment is really competitive out there," she said.
But Koch said he didn't see Teletechnet as competition, because "we're not serving the same students. We're [holding classes] at different times. We're the only institution other than Virginia State that offers engineering technology," he said.
David Bousquet, Virginia Tech's director of admission, agreed. Tech offers graduate classes by way of distance learning.
Koch also said he sees no problem with other universities offering programs via ODU's satellite network, so long as proper, on-site student services are offered.
"If it's not ODU, it's going to be Texas A&M, or somebody else," Koch said.
Nationwide, distance learning is tearing down the usual classroom walls.
"It won't make any difference if you're on a ship at sea, downtown Richmond or Pulaski County," Koch said.
by CNB