Learning from a Distance at PBCC
Online courses and other delivery options put higher education within reach for many. By Tabatha B. McDonald Javier Espinoza dropped out of college in 1982 and left Venezuela for South Florida. He was young, single and in search of a better life in America. He also realized that electrical engineering, which he'd studied for three years at Simon Bolivar University, wasn't for him. He could easily pursue a degree later, he reasoned. But he ended up in Palm Beach County working full-time and getting married. Then the three children came, and plans to finish his degree kept getting pushed back until last fall - more than two decades later. Espinoza is among about 5,000 students enrolled in Palm Beach Community College's rapidly growing distance learning courses. Distance learning has put higher education within reach for students of all ages and challenges, including work commitments, limited transportation, disabilities and lack of child care. "There is no way I could have gone back to a regular (classroom setting)," said 43-year-old Espinoza, who is a business analyst at Florida Power & Light. "I just couldn't commit to being in a classroom on a certain day at a certain hour. The Internet really has made it possible for a lot of people to go back to school or start a degree while maintaining their jobs. It really has opened the doors for a lot of people who otherwise couldn't get an education." Growth surge In just the last fives years, enrollment in distance learning courses has more than tripled from 2,216 to 7,893. They are the first courses to fill up, often within days or hours of registration. "We knew it was going to be big, but we didn't know it was going to be this big," said Celeste Beck, Ed.D., provost of PBCC in Boca Raton, who oversees distance learning college-wide. "We have very busy students, and that's one of the reasons students take distance learning courses. It's a situation where I have 24 hours but 28 hours worth of stuff to do." "For many students, it just gives them another option," said Professor Rochelle Warm, Ed.D., who teaches online classes in psychology and child growth and development. It gives the single mom wonderful opportunities. It's opened up a whole world to people who are at home. I've had disabled students who can't come to class, but they're still able to do the work." To keep up with the growing demand for alternatives to the traditional classroom, PBCC has updated its technology and significantly increased its distance learning options and course offerings over the years. More than a decade ago the College offered a handful of courses by videoconferencing. Since then, distance learning options have expanded to include online courses and "Course in a Box" - a set of videotapes, CDs or DVDs containing a college course. And until this year, the College offered 14 televised courses which aired on local PBS affiliate WXEL. These, however, became less appealing to students after PBCC introduced Course in a Box. The number of online courses - the most popular distance learning option - increased from 18 in fall 1999 to 67 today. The number of sections of online classes also jumped from 18 to 84 today. And with the addition of online speech communication in fall 2003, students can now take all of the general education courses for the associate in arts degree through distance learning. In total, more than 130 distance learning classes are now offered. "We're trying to increase the offerings to accommodate the needs of the students who literally scream for these classes," Dr. Beck said. Change of heart Distance learning, especially online courses, also is becoming increasingly popular among faculty members. In 1999, only three PBCC professors taught online courses. Today more than 40 teach online, and nearly 70 teach all forms of distance learning. Much of the growth stems from the strong support the College offers faculty for the training, equipment and software needed to teach distance learning courses. In addition, faculty mentoring fuel interest. "When you take faculty members and put support behind them, I think you're going to see greater enthusiasm," said Anne Guiler, coordinator of distance learning. "They're getting more support than ever for training. I think that's helped and will help in the future." As a sociology professor, Associate Dean Richard Yinger, Ph.D., who taught three online courses this summer, said he initially opposed distance learning. "I didn't believe in it. I didn't think it would work," he said. "I thought it would turn us into a diploma mill." He got involved in online teaching to prove that it wouldn't work. But he soon had a change of heart. "What I found in the process is that it does work well for some students. I learned that I had to revamp my whole concept of teaching and learning. I learned that I could create a learning environment using the principals of 4MAT (a form of teaching that address different learning styles). I was able to focus more on the learning process. I became a crusader for online teaching." Tech savvy While it has its advantages, online teaching generally requires much more of the professors' time than regular classes. It also requires that they be creative and technologically savvy. "I had to learn a lot of technology," said Biology Professor Carolyn Allen, who was the first to teach an online class at PBCC. "My class is really the same class. I didn't change the science. I just learned the technology to get the science to the students in a way that they can access it." "It can be a lot more stressful than the traditional class room setting when the wrong student registers for the class with the wrong expectations," said Accounting Professor Gracelyn Stuart. "On the other hand, it is a great joy working with the mature students who cannot make it to regular classes because of their jobs or because they are stay-at-home moms with small children, and who really appreciate the pure Internet option classes." Allen said she enjoys the flexibility of online teaching. While teaching two online classes during the first summer term she attended a conference in Texas without missing a beat. "I took my laptop and the kids never knew I was gone." But Allen said online teaching requires a lot more time putting information on her WebCT and responding to e-mails, like the 500 e-mails she received from students during her classes this summer. Other professors agree. "You're on call 24 hours a day," said Professor Trish Froehlich, who teaches an online nutrition class. "You may get 15 to 20 e-mails a day from one class." "I actually spend much more time teaching online than I do in a traditional classroom because it never ends," Dr. Yinger said. "But it has rewards. Students are much more expressive. I actually have more interaction than I ever did in a traditional classroom." Not for everyone Distance learning is not the best option for everyone, particularly those who lack discipline and time management skills. That's why the distance learning Web site - features a series of questions for students to ponder before signing up. "I think a lot of students are getting into distance learning thinking it's going to be easier than going to class," Dr. Yinger said. "Most of the students who sign up for my (online) classes don't make it to the end. It's not because they can't do it intellectually. It's because they can't make the commitment. I really think it's a better learning experience if they are able to do the work, put the time into it and understand that this is not the easy way to get a grade." As a student, Espinoza can attest to the work it takes to be successful in online courses. But without them he couldn't further his education, which he's hoping will lead to a promotion. He took seven online courses at PBCC last school year, including financial accounting, microeconomics, managerial accounting and English Composition, and he's taking more this term. They are all prerequisites to the business administration program at the University of Florida, where he has been accepted to pursue his bachelor's degree. He is taking online classes there, too. Espinoza says his discipline and good time management skills helped him earn straight A's in all of his classes at PBCC, a President's Award and an Award of Excellence in Accounting. "If you're not disciplined enough you're going to fail," he said. "I'm killing myself to get a 4.0. Sometimes I get home (from studying) and everybody's sleeping. It's so late I just want to eat and go to bed. There are days that go by without us seeing much of each other." But Espinoza said his wife and children have been supportive and understanding. They're part of the reason he went back to school. He wants to make them and his parents proud. His parents were disappointed but supportive when he quit school years ago. He also realized that without a bachelor's degree he's at a standstill at Florida Power and Light, where he's worked for nearly 16 years. "I tell my kids you can only go so far in life without a degree," Espinoza said. "You can get a job and make money. But you can only advance to a certain point and then you're going to be stuck. It's very competitive out there." Other Student Testimonials Student Testimonials for Distance Learning Classes
"I just wanted to thank you (Professor Mossadeghi)for a good "Course in a Box" class, and for all your conscientious, informative e-mails that helped to guide us through the course. Thank you for always promptly responding to needed questions. You organized it very well, and I felt it covered the important sociological information needed in the six week course. The textbook was spilling with valuable, useful, information. Reading was easy and a pleasure. With the author's input of various true stories, it was almost as fascinating as an enjoyable novel. Not only were the CD's informative, but I was surprised that they turned out to be so interesting. Not knowing much about sociology before this class, I am glad that it was a required course. I find myself viewing almost everything that goes on around me with a new educated background and an open mind.- Mary F "As I study for the final I just wanted to thank you (Professor C Fawcett) for the well balanced approach to the distance learning class. In the approach you have touched upon different learning styles through video, group work, and various forms of independent work. The assignments have even lead to a variety of forms of assessment and that is extremely important as well. I am also working on my masters and within the last year I have taken classes that are completely assessed through a portfolio and others that are assessed solely through exams. As an educator it makes me think of assessing solely through the FCAT. That is a different topic though. Thanks again, I enjoyed the balanced approach." - Elaine Slesinski "I was presently enrolled in the Web Page Programming class under Don Voils and would like to take the opportunity to let you know that I was extremely pleased with this distance learning class. I am a teacher in Palm Beach County and left the class with much more than I had expected. I am not new to distance learning, in fact I have taken over 30 hours online in the past year and a half. These online classes were not taken just at PBCC, but at USF as well. Hats off to PBCC for offering a wide ranch of distance learning classes that meet the needs of classroom teachers like myself. The distance learning curriculum content that PBCC offers has been outstanding and I will continue to take online classes in the future." - Patricia Janann Nicholson "Thank you so very much...You are an amazing instructor, so understanding. I wish I had you in other classes." - referring to a Distance Learning math class. "I have really enjoyed my class and learned a lot... I have recommended your class to a lot of people. Being an educator, I know you never hear thank you enough, so I really thank you for your time and consideration." - referring to Internet College Algebra class---
-Lucinda Cullum. "I really enjoy the Internet classes at PBCC. They are convenient and I absorbed more of the text information than from the classroom situation. Taking Internet classes depends on what the subject is and if the classroom interaction is necessary." - Deanna Pientka "Distance Learning is one of the best opportunities I could have hoped for...I am a wife and homemaker, work full-time, and because of Distance Learning classes, I can finally go to school full-time...I only wish there were more classes!" - Rachel Flores "After graduating from PBCC twenty-five years ago (PBJC then), I returned to get my teaching certificate. While traveling each week, I was able to continue my education via Distance Learning. I highly recommend these courses!" - Bob Price "There is no way I could have gone back to a regular (classroom setting)," said 43-year-old Espinoza, who is a business analyst at Florida Power & Light. "I just couldn't commit to being in a classroom on a certain day at a certain hour. The Internet really has made it possible for a lot of people to go back to school or start a degree while maintaining their jobs. It really has opened the doors for a lot of people who otherwise couldn't get an education." PBCC Student Javier Espinoza
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