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Volume 3 Issue 7July/August 1999
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Creative Delivery of Distance Education
Rio Salado College is one of 10 colleges in Arizona's Maricopa County Community College District. Rio was established in 1978 to develop and deliver innovative education. We offer courses at dispersed locations rather than on one campus, and have provided distance learning for over 20 years. Today, Rio's distance learning program serves some 12,000 enrollments annually. Approximately 4,000 students are enrolled at any given time.
A Rio hallmark is the commitment to make distance learning conveniently accessible. Given our informal "education any time, any place, any way” motto, Rio offers 146 courses in several delivery modalities, including the Internet, mixed media (print and/or AV media), CD-ROM, and print.
Students have the convenience of choosing from 26 (biweekly) enrollment periods. And although most require 13 weeks to complete a course, students may accelerate. Finally, courses are asynchronous - students don't have to depend upon the instructor's physical presence at the other end of the fiber-optic linkage. They can work on their courses anytime.
Rio’s Distance Services Program
Rio's success comes from recognizing that an effective "any time, any where, any way" distance learning program must provide essential student services any time, any where , and any way. Thanks to insights gained in the last six years especially, Rio has developed an award-winning program with its own comprehensive student services infrastructure. This includes academic advising, testing services, tutoring, disability services and resources, financial aid and scholarship services, and both personal and career counseling.
Academic Advising
Academic advising is also available through several modalities. Advisors are accessible by phone, by e-mail using software provided to all students, by fax, and in person. All academic advising, including evaluating military and other transcripts, is done at a distance when necessary, using the U.S. mail or the telephone. Advisors are equipped to answer calls immediately, and local students are encouraged to meet personally with an advisor. The Advisement Center averages 25 walk-ins and 350 phone advisement requests daily.
Tutoring
Tutoring services are explained in the online Student Services home pages and course syllabi. Tutoring is also available in several modalities. Students appreciate the convenient Beep-A-Tutor program. When they beep a tutor, they can expect a response within two hours. Recently we found that alphanumeric beepers allow students to type questions to the tutor, who then can be prepared with answers even before returning the student's call.
Our Cybertutoring service is also popular. Currently, we offer some 146 courses by Internet. The online math and Spanish classes include online tutoring services. Cybertutors are available online at specified hours. The hours are published in the course syllabus and on the Student Services/Tutoring Web page, where students also find instructions for using tutoring services. Soon we intend to expand the Cybertutoring service to other subject areas.
Testing
Distance learning testing is a very large program. All students take their distance learning midterms and finals in person, sometimes arranging for proctoring at a more convenient educational institution. All tests are secured, administered, scanned, and graded by the Student Services Testing Department. In addition, the department conducts all placement testing (currently ASSET), credit-by-examination tests, and standardized tests such as DANTES and CLEP. We plan to begin offering COMPASS computerized placement testing in the spring of 1999.
Counseling
Career counseling is available via e-mail, by telephone, or in person days and evenings, and related courses, such as Career Exploration and Conflict Resolution are offered on the Internet. Rio also provides personal counseling to students. Finally, students can visit our virtual Career Center for assistance in career planning and job searches.
Library Services
No college student can be without a library. At Rio, a library/Cybrary is always open. There students find over 6,000 links updated and organized by discipline, as well as other electronic research and Web-browsing options. Students can do everything, including checking out books and periodicals through the Cybrary that they can do in a walk-in college library, without ever leaving their computers. Moreover, they are entitled to use area university and sister college libraries through the Maricopa County Community College District intercollegiate library exchange program.
Summary
The key to providing quality distance learning involves recognizing that student services must be part of the package. Colleges not only must offer the traditional services conveniently, but also must have foresight in designing and developing services needed to satisfy students who expect high-quality instruction any time, any place, any way.
