Also, all of our students do field teaching in urban settings which provides them with broad experiences. The second innovative course being offered in January is Distance Teaching in the Information Age. Also, if an institution is famous for a particular discipline or has a well-known professor in a certain field, many more students could benefit from that knowledge if it could be adapted to a distance learning format. For a number of years, television has been used as a distance teaching tool and was effective for only the highly motivated. Now, however, the World Wide Web has entered the picture allowing for more than just one-way communication.
Students are now in control of when and where they get their learning material.
Anyone, anywhere, anytime can access the Web and utilize its integrated multi-media resources, including video. Interaction with peers and professors is essential for the development of the whole person. Distance learning must be integrated with classroom instruction from kindergarten through college, but never used exclusively. It can be used to enrich, enhance and expand the resources of students. Both courses are offered in the spring of 2000 at Fairfield University's Graduate School of Education and Allied Professions where the classes are small, usually under 20, and the professors are committed to excellence.