Campus convenience

Distance learning reduces scheduling conflicts and eliminates commuting woes for IT professionals.

By Lynne Jackson
Network World, 8/31/98

Distance learning reduces scheduling conflicts and eliminates commuting woes for IT professionals.

Haseeb Akhtar used to travel two hours each way to get to class at Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas, where he's working toward a master of science in telecommunications. Today, he walks five minutes from his office to a conference room to attend class with four co-workers. Akhtar, who manages network technology development for Nortel in Richardson, Texas, found relief from his tiresome commute in distance learning.

"It's much less pressure and a very efficient way of managing time, especially since I can take classes during the day," Akhtar says. "The only thing I have to worry about is getting my manager to approve the time."

SMU broadcasts the lectures over The Association for Graduate Education and Research (TAGER) television network to Nortel and dozens of other corporate sites in northern Texas. Remote students such as Akhtar watch the lectures and participate via telephone.

Distance learning, a growing trend in continuing education, allows motivated students to take classes without leaving their homes or offices - courtesy of the Internet, satellite television broadcasts and express delivery.

It's a $6 billion per year industry, according to Alan Minard, director of academic markets for Lotus in Cambridge, Mass. Lotus manufactures Lotus LearningSpace, a collaborative training application used by schools such as Drexel University and New York University.

"I think the Internet has made access so ubiquitous that you could take classes anytime," Minard says. "Folks are using their spare time to increase their knowledge and ability and stay current with technology as it rockets ahead of all of us."

Distance learning also eliminates geographic boundaries, making it easier for you to find a challenging program that meets your needs.

For example, Phil Freyer manages global network architecture for Bechton Dickinson, a manufacturer of medical supplies and devices in Franklin Lakes, N.J. In his spare time, Freyer is working toward a master's degree in technology management from the University of Phoenix in Arizona. Instead of traveling 2,400 miles to attend class, Freyer dials in to the online program at night from home and in the early morning from his office.

"It's kind of like a chat room," Freyer says. "All of the classes and lectures are downloaded there. Then you fulfill the assignments and upload them to classmates and the teacher. Everybody reads each other's assignments and participates in online discussions."

Though convenient, the online program isn't easier than traditional on-site classroom education. In fact, Freyer claims it's more difficult. "Participation is required, so students have to get online everyday. It's a bit tougher than raising your hand in class," he says.

Freyer believes his hard work will pave the way for greater career opportunities as it increases his managerial capabilities and IT knowledge. "Everyone is starting to recognize that you need credentials in this field, espe- cially if you want to manage and lead," Freyer says. "This degree takes into account all the different areas of information technology and how to manage them from the legal aspects to finance to storage systems to research and development."

At SMU, the TAGER television network lets remote in-state students tune in to lectures, and a courier service delivers their books, assignments and exams. For out-of-state students, SMU ships videos and posts assignments on the World Wide Web. The university also plans to deploy Internet streaming video technology so students can download lectures anytime via a Web browser.

"The classroom looks more like a TV studio than a traditional college classroom," says Michael Kirkpatrick, director of graduate education and marketing at SMU.

There, off-site students receive the same classroom instruction as on-campus pupils, but they have the opportunity to view lectures repeatedly, which often yields them better grades than their on-campus counterparts. Students who receive the tapes from a courier experience a 10-day delay on average and turn in their assignments and exams accordingly.

Per-credit tuition is comparable for on-site and off-campus graduate students at both the University of Phoenix and SMU. At Phoenix, off-site students pay an additional $100 for software. At SMU, they pay 10% more per course to cover videotaping and courier services, but they avoid the activity fees on-campus students pay.

At Phoenix, off-site students take one course at a time and have six weeks to complete it. They can take consecutive classes for two years or space them out over roughly four years, which Freyer chose to do. He says that he could have finished sooner, but he opted to periodically take time off to spend with his family.

Balancing work, school and family remains Akhtar's and Freyer's biggest challenge, but it hasn't deterred either from continuing their studies.

In fact, both plan to pursue other degrees after completing their current programs to keep pace with the demands of the IT world. "I don't think education ever really stops," Freyer says.

The key ingredient is motivation. Distance learning can be a long, lonely journey. Students must concentrate on their academic requirements with minimal accountability and peer support. But they can find comfort in learning at their own pace and in their own space.