I should say that as people will see from these Dean interviews, that seems to be a basically uniform statement among the Deans so far. One of the first things that comes to mind is the work that we have been doing with distance-learning technology. We are all exploring what the new technologies mean in terms of teaching and learning. We have been trying to work with faculty to experiment, to see how to increase student-faculty interaction using technology, as well as seeing where technology is not sufficient. That's been a very exciting journey, and one that's continuing as we experiment with ASU on-line.
Adult students learn a little differently from students straight out of high school.
I think many of the faculty find that working with adult students is quite exciting, because students with a little more experience have a lot to add to the instructional setting. As a result, many of the classes function as seminars where there is a free exchange of information because the students are teachers themselves. By promoting the idea that we ought to be offering programs appropriate for adult students, I think it really contributes to how students and faculty interact. Both NAU and UofA also have distance learning programs. And what we are trying to signify by that term is that it's a little of both.