The Chronicle: Colloquy Live Transcript

The Future of Telecourses

Thursday, July 12, at 2 p.m., U.S. Eastern time; 6 p.m., Greenwich Mean Time

What changes are ahead for telecourses? Does the rise of online education threaten the future of telecourses or open up new opportunities for them?

Ever since the rise of television, educators have used the medium to provide instruction, and some experts believe that telecourses are the most common form of distance education. With the rise of the Internet, however, online education has been the form of distance education that receives the most attention. Some organizations involved in telecourses are shifting their focus to online education, which they see as the wave of the future, while others are sticking with the traditional telecourse model, and still others are blending telecourse and Web-based instruction.

» Telecourses Change Channels (7/13/2001)

George P. Connick was the chief architect of the University of Maine System's interactive telecourse network before retiring in 1997. Since then, he has acted as a consultant for other distance-education ventures and is executive director of the American Board of Funeral Services Education. Previously, he was president of the University of Maine at Augusta for nine and a half years.

A transcript of the chat follows.

Dan Carnevale (Moderator):
Welcome to The Chronicle of Higher Education live chat with George Connick. I'm Dan Carnevale, an information technology reporter at The Chronicle, and I'll be the moderator of this chat.

Despite the recent growth of online education, telecourses are still a strong source of distance education for nontraditional students. Both interactive and documentary-style telecourses seem to reach more students than online courses.

George Connick, former director of the University of Maine's telecourse system and has lately acted as an independent consultant to many other distance education programs. I'd like to thank Mr. Connick for taking the time today to answer our questions.

George P. Connick:
I am delighted to be here -- wherever here is for most people. I'm looking forward to the discussion. Certainly, television has been a major part of distance learning opportunities for students, since sunrise semester began. It's going to continue to be a major part of our strategy for reaching learners, who often have no other educational access. For the past couple of years, the Internet has certainly been receiving a great deal of attention because it is so accessible by institutions. As we move into this next century, we are certainly going to see a merger, or fusion, of those two technologies. So I'm looking forward to the questions, and the thoughts that others may have. Thank you.

Question from Dan Carnevale:
Do you think telecourses have specific advantages over online education?

George P. Connick:
Yes. I think they have several kinds of advantages. There are really two kinds of telecourses. One is a canned presentation, which does not take place in real time. The other is real-time television, which the University of Maine system network is an example. The advantages of interactive televsion are that it takes place in real time and so students can ask questions of the instructor at the time the class is taking place. In addition, students also have the video tapes, so if they miss one of these classes, they can view it on videotape. But probably one of the biggest advantages from the viewpoint of the institution is the scalability of interactive television. For example, the network in Maine offered approximately 100 courses a semester with an average enrollment of 100 students per class. Most Internet classes have very limited enrollments because the faculty feel that the interaction over the internt takes so much time. So there are, from my perspective, some big advantages with television.

Question from Mary Stout, DoD Office of the Chancellor for Education:
When will video to the desktop allow the same video clarity as telecourses do today, but with the added interactivity that can remove the passivity of television?

George P. Connick:
That's a very tough question. It really depends on the transmission lines which are going to be available across the country. In other words, it's a bandwith quesiton. Beyond bandwith, there is also the challenge of the end user equipment. One of the issues that has become clear across the country is that without technical standards established by each institution for both faculty and students, it is possible that courses can be developed that students will not have the appropriate equipment to access. So this issue of video to the desktop is enormously complex. It will be resolved, but I have no idea when there will be universal access.

Question from Harry Cooke, Catawba Valley Community College:
What are ways that we can convince administrators that telecourses are still viable, especially when used in combination with the internet?

George P. Connick:
I think one of the basic questions that has to be addressed in looking at technologies to use is the purpose for which you're using them. When we created the network in Maine, we were trying to solve an access problem, and access is still a problem for large numbers of people. The internet may not be able to reach those people. Moreover, there are other public policy issue which are important to administrators and trustees. For example, how do you ensure the quality of any type of distance learning opportunities? How do you make sure that you can provide distance learning in a productive or cost-effective manner? The telecourses offer an opportunity to address all three of these issues -- access, quality, and especially productivity. The intenet, for reasons of scalability, is an expensive way of delivering distance learning. So arguments can be made that telecourses are high quality, that they provide uniform access, and that they are very cost effective for both the institution and the student.

Question from Dan Carnevale:
Regardless of the quality of telecourses, are they endangered by online education? When people think "distance education" these days, are they really thinking of telecourses?

George P. Connick:
I think because of the enormous ease in which institutions can create Internet delivery, that most people are thinking of the Internet. But I do not think that this really threatens the delivery of telecourses in their various modes. There are 35 states that have created centralized Web sites to publicize or market the courses and degrees offered by the institutions in their state. Students have a choice of a variety of delivery methods, and it is clear that large numbers continue to choose telecourses.

What we are likely to see is a continuing modification of both telecourse and Internet courses. Telecourses are likely to have much less real-time presentation by faculty members and more information transmitted by the Internet or other means. The time taken up in real-time interactive television may be used up by discussion simulations and other learning strategies. The Internet, likewise, is likely to see more use of simulations and video to reinforce what they are delivering.

Question from David Asher, University of Washington:
What are the differences in educational outcomes between and among: a. traditional, b. telecourse, c. Internet/telecourse enhanced, or d. exclusively Internet-based, post-secondary instruction?

George P. Connick:
There have been literally hundreds of studies of student outcomes comparing students in distance learning environments with students in traditional classrooms. Almost without exception, students at a distance do as well or better than students sitting in a classroom. There are some reasons that have been proposed for this uniform success of distance learners. First, that they tend to be older. Second, that they tend to be more highly motivated and have a stronger work ethic. And third, that they are comfortable working in relative isolation, either from an off-campus location such as their business, home, or a learning center. I am not familiar specifically with studies that have broken down the categories in the way you have in your question. The bulk of the studies that I'm familiar with deal with category (b) regarding telecourses. Other evidence and anecdotal evidence gained by talking to faculty indicated that the same successful outcomes have been experiences in internet-based courses, whether enhanced by video or not.

Question from Rossi Ino, St. John's University, large metropolitan university:
I heard that some universities find the cost of distance learning too high? Is this correct, to what extent, and for what reasons? Are there any statistics or Web sites accessible on this issue? Thank you.

George P. Connick:
Attempting to find information about the actaul costs for various distance learning activities is very difficult. Probably the major cost study that comes to mind was done in the Cal State system several years ago. Its results have been presented at several types of conferences, especially the Western Cooperative for Educational Telecommunications. I would suggest contacting the Western Cooperative in Boulder for the most recent information on that particular study, because they were attempting to create a methodology for assessing costs. There was also a book published at the University of British Columbia which looked at costs of various distance learning approaches.

From my experience in the University of Maine system, when we created the network, the startup costs were very high, and when we calculated the cost per student, it was the highest in the university system. But most of that cost was front-loaded development cost. When we began enrolling larger number of students, we were the only example of per student cost actually declining. After six years, the network's cost per student had dropped from the highest to the lowest in the system.

Question from Phil Wallace, Brevard Community College:
Even with the explosive growth of online instruction there is an increase of telecourse enrollments nationally. Where is telecourse growth coming from?

George P. Connick:
I don't pretend to have the answer to that question. However, I will offer some speculation.

For really the first time in the history of higher education, students have a variety of choices in terms of curriculum, degrees, institutions, and learning strategies. It may be that students who have previously been forced to go to campus because they had no option, are finding that telecourses and interactive video courses are a preferred learning strategy for them. So they are continuing to take advantage of it. It is the cornucopia of distance learning opportunities which is going to not only continue to expand, but continue to attract busy adults and students of all ages who can only find what they need by using one or more of the technologies.

Question from Elizabeth, education writer:
Do you think telecourse producers will be interested in experimenting with high-definition television, if and when the technology becomes more affordable?

George P. Connick:
I think the key there is affordable. The attempting to recoup the development costs of courses, regardless of format, is a real challenge for institutions. There are certainly many people who would like to use the most sophisticated technologies to connect with students. However, there is good evidence that the technical quality is not necessarily as important as the design and support of a course when it is offered. The real questions with high definition are its cost implications and if its costs are high, whether they are justified in terms of the learning outcomes.

Dan Carnevale (Moderator):
We're about half way through the chat. Keep those questions coming.

Question from John Gibson, UMA:
First, Cheers and thanks to George Connick for creating an excellent ITV system at UMA which I know first-hand from teaching on it. George, how do you think we can improve quality control and better assess learning outcomes on interactive television? I think Internet learning approaches do a less satisfactory job at this than we do on interactive television, but we could all do better. Ideas?

George P. Connick:
John, thanks for your kind comments. I think you have raised what is one of the big issues for distance learning. It has been an issue which has challenged the distance learner providers from the beginning.

The importance of this issue is highlighted by the fact that the six regional accrediting associations and several professional accrediting associations have developed guidelines for institutions offering distance learning. Their biggest concern is how to ensure quality that is at least comparable to that which they have historically accredited. We have concentrated heavily on trying to figure out how to develop courses and provide support for faculty at both the front end of development and during course offering. We have done a much poorer job at dealing with the other end of the pipe, where the students reside. This includes learning how to access learner outcomes, as well as how to provide a wide range of services which the student needs. For example, how does the student have adequate access to library resources, computer help desks, registration, admission, financial aid, and so forth? These are all part of the quality control equation, although they are outside the purely acadmeic area. My point is that we need to pay special attention to what happens at the receiving end of the pipe, and not just what is happening at the production end. I think when we really focus on the latter issue, we will begin to see a great improvement in assessment techniques. I'm not suggesting that there isn't a lot going on, because when you look at conference programs, you will see a large number of sessions devoted to assessment.

Question from Linda Webster, U of Arkansas, Monticello:
How are institutions juggling resources to maintain the variety of distance education technologies that are simultaneously available? Are they "robbing Peter to pay Paul?" by supporting one type of technology, then another?

George P. Connick:
This is an exccellent question. The institutions across the country are finding it a real challenge to fund distance education efforts. A few states have been very fortunate in having their legislatures appropriate special funds for their distance learning efforts, and these have helped to develop various technologies that the institutions may use. Where institutions are going it alone, they find that the develpment costs can be high and a real challenge. This is why many institutions have made their investments in the Internet, because it requires a smaller investment in technology then telecourses do. I don't think there's any pattern across the courses in terms of how institutions are juggling these resources. I do think we can look at the 35 states that have created web sites and see very different approaches to utilizing their funding to provide distance learning opportunities. California has created a Web site that just lists what is available at the institutions, whereas Maine has not only a Web site but a full range of services for distance learners across the state, and Maine uses a full range of technologies, including both telecourses and the internet.

At this point in time, institutions are still attempting to sort out the strategies that work best for them and that they can afford. So you are correct -- there is a lot of juggling going on.

Question from Kathleen Loomis-Tubbesing, Bakersfield College (CA Comm. College):
Any suggestions for improving retention in telecourses?

George P. Connick:
I think the single major factor in retention has been the extent to which faculty are successful in making early contact with students in a telecourse and making them feel welcome and comfortable. This isn't surprising, and it's certainly applicable on-campus as well as off. When the student feels engaged and involved, they seem to have a better chance of sticking in the course.

Question from Patty Yates, Northwest ESD 189:
I am in the process of implementing videoconference course into the classrooms for teachers and students useage. Any suggestions on how to get teachers excited about using it w/their cirrculum? I feel videoconference courses are better due to the interaction. Is that a proper assumption.

George P. Connick:
I think two-way video courses can be very effective. Students can find them enormously productive. It certainly depends on the style of the faculty member and the content of the course. Video conferencing systems seem to work best when there are a limited number of locations and a limited number of students. It is then possible to create a learning environment in which students are fully engaged in the learning process, and full participants. If the faculty member tends to consume most of the course time by lecturing, the benenfits of a video conferencing system are really lost -- one way video and two-way audio are probably preferable.

Two-way video is a tremendous opportunity for faculty to engage students using a variety of teaching strategies. If the faculty are excited about new approaches, these technologies allow them to do a host of things they couldn't do in a regular classroom. My experience has been that faculty that volunteer to use these new technologies become very creative in their use. I'm sure that you will find them that way, too.

Question from Ed Mathay, Chabot College:
Meeting requirements of the American with Disabilities Act is important on our campus. Many video series that we use or would use are not close captioned. How can we deal with this issue?

George P. Connick:
This was one of the earliest issues we confronted with our system in Maine. I don't believe the issue has been resolved yet. Certainly for interactive television, there were opportunities to use interpreters, and we did that on several occasions. We also used real time captioning, but that was very expensive.

If you have deaf and hard of hearing students in class on-campus, I assume you hire interpreters and note-takers for those students in order to meet the law. Unless challenged in courses off-campus, we never captioned or interpreted courses unless specifically requested to do so by a deaf or hard of hearing student. This is a really tough issue and I'm not sure any place in the country has worked it out satisfactorally.

Dan Carnevale (Moderator):
That's it for today's chat. I'm sorry if we weren't able to get to your question. Again, thanks to George Connick for answering our questions today.

George P. Connick:
I've enjoyed the discussion and found the questions to be very stimulating and interesting. I appreciated people's participation and the opportunity to interact with them.