| For Release: IMMEDIATE | Contact: Public Affairs |
| Date: July 10, 2000 |
Conference Website: www.mayland.cc.nc.us/dla/
HUNDREDS GATHER IN NEW BERN TO PLAN FUTURE OF DISTANCE LEARNING
RALEIGH: Hundreds of people from across North Carolina will travel to New Bern this week to plan the best ways to take advantage of the skyrocketing growth of distance learning opportunities in the state. The Distance Learning Alliance Conference, a gathering of professionals involved in creating, teaching, and administering distance learning courses, meets at the Sheraton Grand on July 12 through July 14.
The Distance Learning Alliance grew out of several combined efforts. Distance learning professionals at the NC Community College System organized an initial conference six years ago. About 90 people attended that first meeting, almost all of them working largely with broadcast telecourses and the two-way video of the North Carolina Information Highway. This year, more than 400 people have signed up for a huge array of sessions. Hot topics include on-line courses, by far the fastest-growing segment of distance learning in North Carolina; new partnerships with the military; distance education and criminal justice; and strategies to bridge the digital divide between rich and poor regions.
"This explosion in participation is tangible evidence of the growth of technology on our campuses and for other educational organizations. Community colleges are leading the way in the development of on-line education," said Dr. Janyth Fredrickson, NCCCS Associate Vice President for Academic and Student Services. "Increased access to technology is a necessity for our students and we want to make sure they have the resources they need to secure their education," she added. A February report showed that almost 34,000 students enrolled in distance learning at the 59 institutions in the North Carolina Community College System last year.
The theme of the conference is "The ABC’s of Distance Learning: Application, Blending and Convergence." and participation by other communities of interest has been expanded. In addition to community college personnel, participants and presenters include representatives from the University of North Carolina System, UNC-TV, PBS, NC National Guard, NC Highway Patrol, NC Division of Corrections and the Department of Public Instruction.
The NCCCS will roll out the first ten courses of the Virtual Learning Community during a special presentation at the conference. This library of ready-to-go but easy-to-adapt online courses is designed to help bridge the digital divide that exists within the NCCCS. These courses are the result of extensive collaboration among community college personnel with the goal of increasing student access to Internet-based courses. While most colleges in the NCCCS already offer many Internet-based classes, there are some colleges that have not. The VLC will allow those colleges without Internet courses to benefit from the experience of other institutions. While these courses will be available to all community colleges, courses can be offered by local colleges as they see fit.
The 2000 Distance Learning Alliance Conference will feature five major sessions and almost 100 smaller sessions and discussion groups. Noted futurist Rick Smyre will speak on "Linking the Webs of the 21st Century." Another major session called "Awarding Associate Degrees and Other Credentials by Distance" will share information about how five colleges blend modes of distance learning to award degrees, provide student services and meet critical accreditation requirements by distance.
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