At my personal computer, I've just completed one of many drafts of my graduate thesis proposal. I check the spelling, run it through my style checker, then save the piece as an ASCII file. I then use my Tandy 1000 SL, modem, and communications software to go to school. I upload the draft to my thesis advisor and will probably receive her response tomorrow morning, if not later this evening.
As a graduate student in Media Studies at the New School for Social Research in New York City, I find it nearly a point of pride to say that I have never set foot inside New York state, much less the Big Apple, to complete my graduate studies, because I attend class through Connected Education, Inc. (92 Van Cortlandt Park South, #6F, Bronx, NY 10463, telephone 212-549-6509), an independent organization that facilitates learning through networks. The M.A. in Media Studies at the New School is offered through the traditional, "in-person" method, as well as through Connected Education, which offers a Technology and Society concentration. For its network, Connected Education uses the Electronic Interchange Exchange System (EIES) of the New Jersey Institute of Technology. EIES is accessible through Telenet or through direct access into the system in Newark.* (* Since this was written, Connected Education has moved to the Parti conferencing system on UNISON.- A.L.)
Though I live in eastern Massachusetts, one of the greatest clusters of higher learning in the country, I found that my profession as a writer/editor for the Media Communications Group at Digital Equipment Corporation, coupled with the evening pilgrimage to Boston precluded any diligent pursuit of a graduate degree. I was an experienced student and teacher, having received two Associate Degrees and certificates in Software Technical Writing, so I questioned whether I was prepared for further voyages in the sea of homebound traffic and late suppers.
Through the Boston Computer Society I learned of the many avenues of distance education, specifically, online learning-- using computer networks to attend school. The method appealed to me: I had a late-found interest in computers and in telecommunications. I found that online learning isn't just for those who can't travel to class. Through online learning I have earned a second Bachelor's degree and have maintained a high average in the rigorous demands of graduate work. It is by no means easier than "traditional" methods -- it is, however, easier to attend. In fact, the asynchronous, expostulation-and-reply method of computer conferencing nearly demands a student's participation; also, one benefit of downloading comments is that the student has a complete transcript of class discussion. The student can recall verbatim an instructor's lecture and comments, as well as those of other students, who frequently have many salient points to make.
The online library is continuously updated with reports, theses, and other scholarly treatises, and other conferences, such as non-credit discussions on technology and poetry. We even have an electronic cafe, where students and faculty can enter any discussion or begin a new topic, most often about current events and technological turns of events.
There are some distinctions, besides the obvious ones, that separate the online student from one attending in the conventional manner. For one, the online student isn't bound by class time and space -- the student can electronically "walk" into class at any time and pick up the discussion; however, this does demand extensive reading, beyond that of traditional class. For another, getting to discuss work privately with an instructor seems less chaotic -- the student sends private electronic mail and receives a reply within a reasonable brief period.
One realizes that, after becoming familiar with computer conferencing and networks, it is the content and quality of the courses that are the focal point of this method. I've witnessed, and have participated in, many dialogues and debates on philosophical and sociological matters; during the student uprising in China we submitted electronic petitions supporting the students. Graduate courses have included "Desktop Publishing," "Electronic Publishing," "Computer Networks and Professional Writing," and "Online Journalism." There are non-credit writers' workshops and workshops in English as a second language, and courses offered through Polytechnic University, such as "Introduction to Software Documentation."
In discussing this method of education by computer, many of my co-workers have remarked that they would miss the camaraderie of being among people at one time and in one place. I counter by noting that the very method we online students use displays a remarkable common interest, in media, in computers, and in telecommunications. Although experience with computers helps the new student overcome the inevitable connection problems, a few of my fellow students who were new to working the hardware and software eventually became proficient enough to offer advice to other beginners.
Because EIES is ASCII based, a student with any computer and telecommunications software can enrol and participate. Using DeskMate Text and Telecommunications, I've found it convenient to download comments, compose responses, then upload them without leaving the integrated environment. Other telecommunications programs, such as Procomm, facilitate log-in with their scripts and hot keys.
Also, online students need to discipline themselves because of the unstructured nature of their classes. The temptation to forego a night's visit to class is often strong, but, as with in-person graduate school, the rewards befit the effort. Online education is perfect for the frequent traveller: Several of my classmates have occupations that require them to travel; however, with a laptop and modem, they can keep up with class discussions and lessons from nearly any location.
One other benefit perhaps unforeseen until now: This electronic medium forces the student to write, because writing for the online student is the primary method of communication. To communicate clearly the student must write clearly, and that is perhaps one more skill the student will retain.
In researching the choices for online learning, I discovered other programs that may suit students with other interests. These include the American Open University of the New York Institute of Technology (1-800-222-6948), which offers undergraduate programs in General Studies, Business Administration, and Behavioral Sciences; City University (1-800-422-4898), which offers both undergraduate and graduate (MBA) degrees by distance learning; and, perhaps the most recent, the University of Phoenix (1-800-888-4935), which offers a B.S. in Business Administration, an MBA, and a Master of Arts in Management.
Two informative reference works are Online Communities: A Case Study of the Office of the Future by Starr Roxanne Hiltz (Ablex Publishing) and Mindweave: Communication, Computers, and Distance Education edited by Robin Mason and Anthony Kaye (Pergamon Press).
I have met one of my professors (and the Director of Connected Education) Dr. Paul Levinson, once at a BCS meeting at Boston University. At graduation next year I'll travel to New York and finally meet other students, though I know them all quite well already.
(Standard disclaimer: The above views don't necessarily reflect those of Digital Equipment Corporation.)
William Dubie,
dubie@tnpubs.enet.dec.com
CompuServe 71571, 3323
Digital Equipment Corporation,
Littleton, Mass.
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July 1993
GLOSAS NEWS was orinally posted to the WWW at URL: http://library.fortlewis.edu/~instruct/glosas/cont.htm by Tina Evans Greenwood, Library Instruction Coordinator, Fort Lewis College, Durango, Colorado 81301, e-mail: greenwood_t@fortlewis.edu, and last updated May 7, 1999. By her permission the whole Website has been archived here at the University of Tennessee server directory of GLOSAS Chair Dr. Takeshi Utsumi from July 10, 2000 by Steve McCarty in Japan.