Daily Reading
|
Long time, no post. There are things I have in mind, such as defining what I feel "journal-ism" is as well as writing up something on my own perspective on blogging.
There have been plenty of newsworthy items since my last posting yet there is no need to parrot the popular media. Its pretty much common knowledge that we're preparing to stomp on a somewhat cooperative Iraq instead of dealing with the threat of North Korea. Then of course the fact that despite our "War on Terror" we aren't going anywhere near Palestine. Well, figuratively speaking.
So today, a review of RPI and NJIT's distance education programs. I am a Master's student at RPI, pursuing a degree in Information Technology, so I would like to give an inside of view of its program. I also took a course through NJIT's distance education program, and feel that a review of that is in order as well for equity's sake.
As noted earlier, RPI's distance education program is impressive. The integration of Powerpoint and Windows Media streams for lectures works really well. One of the advantages of RPI's system is that distance education courses usually occur at the same time as a course on campus. Distance students are therefore viewing courses from a few days ago, giving ample opportunity for questions and a sense of connectivity. Its also a plus for on-campus students who miss a class. This concurrence also negates concerns over distance ed students not getting the same content/education as on-campus students.
For its web system, for lack of a better term, RPI uses WebCT. WebCT offers homework drop boxes, a message board that is threaded and organized, and a dynamic space for course notes and other documents. If you've ever used a community website such as Yahoo Groups, you can use WebCT.
RPI has a good sized staff backing its distance education program, from both the technical and administrative aspects. Tech support as well as production people who deal with the video streams are simply an e-mail away meaning problems are caught and fixed sooner. Overall, RPI has a solid program which is only enhanced by small class sizes (32 on campus, 32 distance).
In contrast, NJIT has a few hurdles to overcome with its distance ed program. I will admit that I only took one class, so I cannot speak to the system as a whole, but from what I saw there are some things that need improving. First, the lectures were in the form of a video tapes from a class in 1996. Its true that Data Structures & Algorithms haven't made earth-shattering changes since that time, however there's still the feeling that something is missing.
NJIT uses just its internal website to host pdf files of notes and course documents with a separate bulletin board system for discussion. In my own class, the discussion forum was severely underutilized despite encouragement from our professor. From my own personal experience, I feel that communication is key in a distance ed course. When I attended SNHU's distance ed program, postings were a weekly requirement which helped because it forced those of who were usually less vocal to add our thoughts and ask questions.
Finally, there is the exam system. NJIT does offer some exams through the web, but professors do have the option of having them on-campus. To me, that did seem a bit unusual. Students who live more than 50 miles from campus can have a proctored exam, which I opted to do, but it is still an extra inconvenience that hampers the flexibility that distance ed is supposed to offer. Still, NJIT accomplishes the core goal of providing an education.
In the end, I would highly recommend RPI's distance ed program to people interested in pursuing a degree in a technology or management field. Many companies are already taking advantage of the program, as RPI notes, but there are opportunities for individuals as well.
Seize the opportunity. The day can wait :)
3:48 PM
|
