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Gas prices, traffic and parking can really ruin a pleasant trip to school.
Many students are unaware of the availability of alternative learning options such as online and blended courses, which can lessen or even eliminate the need to travel to campus as often.
"Blended classes combine the best of face-to-face, and the best of online (learning)," Dr. Carol Keller, history professor, said Sept. 18. in an interview.
"Those who survive genuinely (enjoy) it."
Blended courses allow students the freedom to work from home while also allowing adequate face-to-face time with teachers to address issues or concerns.
"(Students like) knowing that they (can) contact me in a variety of ways and get help with the class no matter which segment, online or in-class, we (are) working on at the time," Dr. Dawn Elmore-McCrary, English professor, said Tuesday via e-mail.
Online and blended learning at this college is done primarily through a learning management system called Blackboard Vista, an online system enabling students and teachers to interact on the Web.
Teachers may add or delete things such as announcements, discussions and bulletin boards, quizzes or tests, or any other number of other useful tools designed to imitate a classroom environment in a Web setting, she said.
There is even an instant message feature available that allows users to see who is online at any given time and communicate with one other to answer questions, get feedback or discuss topics.
Keller is this college's Blackboard Vista coordinator, and is passionate about using the system to its potential for blended courses.
As the coordinator, Keller made a PowerPoint presentation for staff to address the benefits and downfalls of the blended learning system.
It is important, she said, to save the infrequent class time for things "best done in class," such as group work or giving presentations while using the online system to administer tests and assignments.
Keller says the best candidates for online or blended classes are disciplined students who are good at keeping calendars and working independently.
She stressed that, contrary to popular belief, online classes are not "easier" than traditional classes, and often require more research and overall effort because of the way the material is presented.
"Some students thought the online portion of the course was supposed to be easier but were surprised to discover it was more work than they anticipated," Elmore-McCrary said. "This is similar to what many students experience and express when they take an Internet course."
The biggest challenge so far, Keller said, is letting students know blended courses exist, and "communicating to the students before they (arrive)" that they signed up for a blended class.
Most students registering online simply view open sections of a course and choose one based on time and day, not paying attention to whether it is on campus, blended or online, Keller said.
Keller pointed out that all blended courses will have a section number of 080, but online courses do not share a common section number.
Keller's HIST 1301.080, U.S. History 1, began last semester as a pilot, with two sections available. The available sections dropped to only one this semester largely because of low enrollment in the test sections.
She plans to add a blended HIST 1302, U.S. History 2, in the spring, but hopes to hold the classroom sessions from 6 p.m.-9 p.m. instead of the current early-morning meetings to better work with students' schedules as well as using the longer class time to more advantage.
She said the longer class times will enable more discussions but also may allow the class to meet on campus as few as six times in the semester.
Elmore-McCrary started her pilot program in spring 2004 with ENG 0300, Basic English 1.
Since then, she has developed and taught blended courses for ENG 0301, Basic English 2; ENG 1301, Freshman Composition I; ENG 1302, Freshman Composition II; and HUMA 1301, The Humanistic Tradition.
She will teach HUMA 1301 again in Flex 2 this semester, and plans to offer HUMA 2319, American Minorities, during Flex 2 in the spring.
Keller's class is scheduled to meet on campus only 13 times this semester, with the rest of instruction and assignments to be administered solely through Blackboard Vista.
This college has only 15 blended courses this semester, compared to hundreds of fully online options.
Keller said enrollment for blended computer courses is "phenomenal," partially because of computer students' access and familiarity with the Web.
Keller and Elmore-McCrary are confident that blended courses will eventually catch on.
"When implemented correctly, blended courses use the online and in-person activities to complement each other, thus leading students to a better understanding of the subjects being taught," Elmore-McCrary said.
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