Putting the DISTANCE in distance education: an international experience in rural special education personnel preparation

Abstract Delivery of special education courses via distance education presents unique challenges, particularly when the distance between the instructors and students spans the globe. In this program description, two professors, teaching on the island of Cyprus, delivered courses to graduate students in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado. This article provides an overview of ACCESS (A Colorado Consortium for Equity in Special Education Services), a rural special education personnel preparation program primarily delivered via distance education. The authors report evaluation data and address specific challenges to effective instruction when delivering on-line courses, including the establishment of a dynamic community of learners. Over the past decade, institutions of higher education have taken full advantage of the distance learning revolution. During this time span, distance education has indeed become a promising venue for the development and delivery of special education programs. In particular, colleges and universities which have the responsibility of special education personnel preparation in rural areas have rapidly designed and developed technology-based programs to address critical teacher shortages nationwide (Association for School, College and University Staffing [ASCUS], 1998; Ludlow & Brannan, 1999; United States Department of Education [USDOE], 1999). Since technology-mediated advances continue to provide increasingly interactive and efficient instructional modalities, distance education is evolving to meet learner demands and to maintain academic standards (Barren, 1989; Burlbaw, 1994; Office of Special Programs [OSP], 1997; Schnorr, 1999; Spooner, Spooner, Algozzine & Jordan, 1998). Additionally, distance education is proving to be a satisfactory solution to traditional barriers (e.g., job and family demands, travel time, weather, and geographic hazards) that typically challenge in-service educators who desire to maintain and update their professional knowledge and skills (Brownell & Smith, 1993; Collins, 1997; Miller, Brownell & Smith, 1999; Reetz, 1988; Smith-Davis, 1995). With respect to current professional development needs, it appears critical that teacher preparation programs emphasize effective practices related to collaboration among general and special educators in today's inclusive rural schools (Mundschenk & Foley, 1997). In order to model, promote and facilitate collaborative skills among distance students, faculty are faced with the challenge of creating and maintaining online learning environments that are clearly differentiated from what could essentially be termed electronic correspondence courses. Haythornthwaite, Kazmer, Robins and Shoemaker (2000) reported that the most effective distance learning model is one that moves the student from an isolated learner, as is typical of independent study coursework, into a "community of learners," where student interaction is required and facilitated. This emphasis on community development, which promotes strong interpersonal ties and support, also facilitates sharing of resources and promotes ongoing collaboration among learners, perhaps even beyond the confines of the course instructional period. Without question, this collegial philosophy is highly consistent with the current professional needs of rural special educators, who tend to leave the field in record numbers due to feelings of isolation and lack of support for the demands of their positions (Friend & Cook, 1996; Helge, 1992; Keiper & Busselle, 1996; Miller, et al., 1999; Reetz, 1988; Stephens, 1994; Westling & Whitten, 1996). Numerous studies of online environments have reported consistently that faculty can create community and sustain learning using electronic media, even when computer-based communication is the primary instructional format (Baym, 1995; McLaughlin, Osborne & Smith, 1995; Reid, 1995; Rheingold, 1993). …