I feel we are providing a valuable service for people who can not attend the Athens campus, says Art Marinelli, a professor of management systems who has taught independent study courses for 32 years. We are helping them to advance their careers with needed coursework or to a complete degree. I have enjoyed teaching a lot of prisoners, and it is interesting to see the range of people who are taking courses for self-enrichment. I get a lot of thank-you notes. While the majority of the independent study lessons still are submitted by mail, technology is changing the way some classes are taught.
Some instructors accept assignments and correspondence by e-mail.
The program also offers seven Internet-based courses, and an additional 15 to 25 new courses should be online in the next 18 months. With the increase in the use of technology to deliver educational programs and activities, the nature of learning is changing, Shostak says. We must adapt to these changes, and it is our intention to be on the leading edge in utilizing new technologies. We want to bring more learning opportunities to students all over the world. While technology is extending the reach of the classroom, some external students still choose to spend time on campus.