WNCC 2010 Self-Study Report - Western Nebraska Community ...

Distance Learning
Advances in technology have added options for instructional delivery not available at the time that
the district was first established, so the definition of the term distance learning has broadened from
its initial use to describe the Interactive Television System (ITV) to include not only that medium,
which proves still to be a valuable resource, but to encompass online learning in its variety of
formats. As detailed later in the section about resources available, WNCC has an extensive ITV
system which connects simultaneously the three campuses, as well as the College and up to four
area high schools on another system. A third system operates strictly between the campuses at
Sidney and Alliance. Nearly every full-time and some adjunct instructors offer courses via the ITV
system, and the slots are always filled, providing students with a variety of course offerings, no
matter the location.
Most online courses are offered by core faculty with 23 full-time faculty members having offered at
least one course online by the spring of 2007. A total of 73 different courses have been offered
online. In the spring term of 2007 alone, over 500 individual online learners registered,
representing students from all counties within the service area. Also included were individuals from
29 other Nebraska counties, 217 from other states, and 41 from other countries. Online enrollment
amounts to over 10% of total enrollment, increasing access by reaching isolated, geographicallybound,
rural residents.
Naturally, some students who can easily access one of the campuses, in fact some of whom live in
the residence halls, prefer to take online classes at times. Some students learn better through
electronic delivery of instruction, and others like the convenience of working on their own schedule
and at their own pace. Still others feel as though they can participate more fully or more
comfortably through a virtual although still vital learning experience. The following graph details
the growth of online education at WNCC:
3000
Figure 5-15
Online Course Enrollments
2000-2008
2000
1000
0
2000‐01 2001‐02 2002‐03 2003‐04 2004‐05 2005‐06 2006‐07 2007‐08
Total online sections Total online students Total unique online students
*NOTE: Unique student count represents the unduplicated number of individuals enrolled.
ITV System Improvements
Since the last accreditation visit in 2000, the Interactive Television (ITV) system has also been
upgraded to improve its capabilities. All of the video codecs are now IP based. Video and audio
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