Campus Currents

Logon, Learn Online

Correspondence classes have just entered a new age. This summer 59 students enrolled in 14 classes offered online for the first time.

Megan Daly, junior English major, enjoyed the flexibility of the online screenwriting class and observed that it wasn’t like a typical class. “Using the online chat-room felt more like a weekly discussion group than a class session,” she says.

Marilynn Loveless, communications instructor, calls the class a success. “I had a small class, but there was great energy to the discussions,” she says.
She also appreciated having a permanent record of online discussions that could be saved for later review or for students who missed class.

Other faculty appreciated the focus on progressive learning and the thoughtful comments on discussion boards.

Distance learning classes are not intended to replace traditional classes according to David Bullock, director of distance education. “Distance learning courses are designed to reach adult learners who may have already had a campus experience. Our goal is to offer options to those who can’t attend campus classes,” he says.

Susan Smith, assistant professor of social work, says placing “Comparative Theories of Social Work Practice” online helped her students who live outside the Walla Walla Valley. “Some students saved 8-10 hours of roundtrip commuting time. Non-traditional students appreciated doing coursework at their own pace,” she says.

While many faculty and students give online classes high marks, others are not so enthusiastic. Online classes may minimize the personal contact between student and teacher, and students with poor Internet connections can have slow download times or other technical problems.
Mark Haynal, assistant professor of education, taught the online class “Teaching Culturally Diverse Students” and is not quite sold on the format. “Technology simply cannot duplicate the joy and serendipity of interacting face-to-face, heart-to-heart, with a group of students,” he says.

Online options are mostly graduate coursework and classes for the college’s satellite campuses. Walla Walla College is joining other Seventh-day Adventist colleges in North America to develop an Adventist Distance Education Consortium to increase the number of classes on each campus.W

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