In addition to improved access, Burke believes UMUC's distance-learning courses also help students become better learners. Today, if I have a problem that's bothering me, I can get onto the network and solve that problem at 3 a.m. I can e-mail my professor. These types of conveniences are changing the way people learn. As a result, Burke sees a different type of student at UMUC than she did 10 or 15 years ago.
Students are much more actively engaged.
When a student gets excited about a topic, they bring a much richer level of discussion back to the class because they have access to so many more resources. The only pitfall UMUC staff have witnessed so far falls on the faculty side. A regular class doesn't require participation, but all online classes do, and it's all text based, coming in at all different times. It can burn out a faculty member pretty quickly. Thus, UMUC has developed a training program to help professors learn how to teach in and cope with the online environment.