Has anyone out there taught distance and/or self-paced university classes?

In My Humble Opinion
1

I’m writing a guide for how to use a particular textbook series with all the different types of courses out there. It’s going to highlight courses like traditional university courses with computer labs, 4 credit vs. 2 credit courses, courses without any technological aids (ie, just a white board or chalk board), etc. etc. There’s two course types I’m having trouble with, though. They’re the self-paced and the distance courses.

From my standpoint, all the little tips I can think of work with both distance and self-paced courses. Stuff like “use Web links to annotate our text!” and “Communicate via e-mail, it’s very convenient when there’s no face-to-face class time” are equally valid for either distance OR self-paced, IMO. However, the person I’m doing this guide thinks otherwise. He wants two separate headings - one for Distance, one for Self-Paced. He thinks they’re very different things, but is having trouble telling me exactly what’s different about them.

I don’t want to have two sections that are identical other than a couple tips. However, I’m having a really hard time coming up with 5-6 issues that I’d deal with differently in a self-paced class vs. a distance class. Both have problems with keeping students on-pace because there’s no class time. Both require that the bulk of coursework must be done away from class. Neither have lectures.

About the only thing I can think of that separate the two is that a self-paced course could have proctored tests, and the distance course might not. Other than that, from a teaching standpoint, what’s different? How would your syllabus be different? What issues may come up in one course type but not the other?

Help!

2

Distance Learning is becoming a big item here at Rutgers. I’ve sat in a few seminars about it as we’re trying to figure out how to work out the specifics of giving courses online. From what I’ve garnered (although it may be different from what your person defines it as), distance learning can involve scheduled classes, given at specific times through the use of live, interactive video on the Web. This requires a video classroom from which the class is taped and aired. The interactive portion of this really distinguishes distance from self-paced classes. The distant student is able to ask questions in real time and interact with other students (distant or otherwise). Some classes may not have the scheduled lectures, but lectures are available either taped online or through Powerpoint presentations websites. Here is Rutgers’ Distance Learning site. On this site, they note that class size is limited because of the interaction involved - something that should not be of any limitation in self-paced classes. This also suggests that self-paced courses must be fully “self-contained” - i.e., no further explanation of the material is required for the typical student to understand the concepts presented.

Also, from what I’ve heard about distance classes is that they DO have proctored exams (at least from the examples I’ve heard about).

I’m now curious to hear if anyone has either taken or developed a distance course.

3

I took a distance learning class. It did have proctored tests - the way it was done is that a local community college has a testing service to which the course sent the test. I showed up, showed my ID, and they watched me take a test.

I failed the class, however, and here’s why. It may help you.

The class was in Number Theory. I was doing fine until I came to Chapter 12. Chapter 12 (ro whatever it was) just utterly confused me. I read the chapter over and over, looked at other books on the topic, and talked to friends with math degrees and I still couldn’t figure out the assignments. Something just wasn’t connecting.

I tried to contact the teacher to get some help and couldn’t get much of anything other than to read the book, which I had already done.

Because of my poor pacing, time was running out and I still didn’t have the assignment for that chapter done. The policy for the class was that I could not take the final until I had submitted the assignments for all the chapters. So I decided to submit Chpater 12 incomplete, take the 0 on it, so I could take the final.

My Chapter was returned to me. I called and explained what I was trying to do and was told that it didn’t make any sense and I wouldn’t be allowed to do that. I had to do the Chapter assignment. “But I can’t do it!” I said. “That’s the problem! I’m running out of time and I can no longer just sit and try to figure it out if I want to take the final.” No dice. IT was suggested by the friendly person on the other line that I just submit anything. “Just make something up?” I asked. Yes, only the professor could still reject it if she didn’t feel I had done it adequately.

My frustration at the Kafkaesque bizarreness into which I had suddenly plummeted meant I didn’t complete Chapter 12 OR take the final, and so I failed the course.

This was partly my fault for running out of time, but the lack of any kind of help with the actual problem (difficulty with the material) and the completely bizarre inability to understand what I was trying to do ruined the whole experience for me.

Incidentally, this was through the University of Texas at Austin.

4

Though I have not taught long distance learning, this is how I completed my Bachelor’s from California State University, Chico. I now teach secondary school in the UK, but hope to move to higher education soon.

I completed core subjects through the local community college, then began incorporating the university classes as well until I was taking them on their own.

All courses were a compliment of on campus (in Chico) students as well as those of us sitting in ‘closets’ on a community college campus (several spread out throughout Northern California). We would watch class via satellite, and if we had questions we could phone in on a specially linked phoneline.

Syllabi were the same for all of us. Assignments were completed as required but we were given the choice of posting the hard copy of papers to the professor, or emailing them. I often did both just for my own backside protection.

Major exams, and occasional quizes, were proctored by someone hired by the university, though she was also a student of the community college. It was obviously up to the professor on how much he/she trusted the outlying students.

As far as the difference between self-paced and distance learning, there are a few. Self-paced (at least in the UK) is done at one’s own leisure. If it takes you 6 months or 6 years to complete a course, so be it. Exams are usually monitored and you can ring the school to speak with the professor as needed. Distance learning on the other hand tend to be more formally structured (from what I’ve seen). Syllabi are adheared to, exams are scheduled and assignments must be completed as if actually on campus.

Legomancer, I’m sorry you had such a hard (read ‘crap’) experience with your distance learning. Your professor sounds like a real piece of work, and probably shouldn’t be a teacher… IMHO

Unfortunately it is experiences like these that make people shy away from trying such learning methods. When in fact distance learning, and self-paced learning, can open whole new worlds for people who would never think of going to uni.

Athena, I hope your book turns out well and you are able to find enough distinguishing points for each category.

5

Thanks for all the info. This has been a GREAT help to me, especially some of the links to specific institutions. Lego, sorry you had such a bad time - in part, I’m writing this guide to help clueless instructors like you had.

6

Another place to look at is here. Entire degrees, from certificates to Bachlor’s available…

Generally, a distance course can be a self-paced course, and vice versa. I’ve had on-line courses that were self-paced, and ones that weren’t.

The thing in common with both, though, is that both the student and the professor MUST be really, really good about keeping up with the work. It’s reallllly easy to fall into the ‘well, I don’t have to show up at a class, so nothing is due’ trap, then suddenly realize the deadlines for fifty-million things are tomorrow.

Also, put a limit on how long someone has to take a self-paced course: if you’re on a semester system, then have the limit set at one semester. One school I was at tried having a two-semester limit, and it was apparently pure chaos. That, and if the class is about a field that changes rapidly, you run the risk of a student ‘completing’ the class… but with outdated information. Not good.

<< Wheeeee! >>

7

I agree with many of Nightsong’s points. I teach a self-paced graduate class. We haven’t offered it as distance learning because this would require compiling a reader of copyrighted materials and somehow inducing our bookstore to carry and ship it–logistics, in other words. So for now it is a campus-based, self-paced course.

One difference is that there are conferences with the instructor, but no “class time” online or by video.

Students in self-paced classes need to be aware that they must track their own progress to meet course deadlines, if any, and college or university deadlines. My institution turns out to have different policies for how long an undergraduate and a graduate student have to replace an Incomplete with a grade. This has caused some students to have to write appeals to the Graduate School after finishing the course.

As the instructor, I do think there should be some time limits even in self-paced classes that have an end deadline. Otherwise some students do nothing for a year, then write a bunch of crap at the last minute, which the instructor then has to read at the last minute, putting said instructor in a foul mood and thus not quite as willing to advocate to the Graduate School, for example.