The "DISTANCEducation" section of the Georgia Center Quarterly is designed to provide a forum for discourse and comment about the practice of distance education -- its administration, operation, programs, and activities.
"Environmental Scanning" (part of the Georgia Center's strategic planning process; see Lookouts) has, in recent months, strengthened my opinion that the pace of change and development continues to accelerate in the distance education area. Technology developments, (both new and in new combinations), organizations, partnerships, and program initiatives pile upon one another with amazing speed.
The thoughtful professional struggles to make sense of these developments, to apply the information to personal and work situations and to continue to serve adult learners with efficiency and cost-effectiveness, while balancing the ongoing institutional pressures of the higher education enterprise.
Fortunately, help is at hand. This column will discuss only a few of the many resources that exist. There are organizations, conferences, individuals, and publications that provide information, support, and direction, and have, over the years, proved to be open and accessible to the individual professional.
The national conferences in distance education are well-known by now, with excellent sessions being held annually in Oregon, Wisconsin, Maine, and other locations. The "on-line" services available via the Internet such as "Edupage" (a summary of news items on information technology provided three times each week by Educom), DEOS--The Distance Education Online Symposium from The Pennsylvania State University, and others offer thoughtful, concise, and current news and views. It is hoped that this column and other features of the Georgia Center Quarterly, both the print and WWW on-line versions, are helpful.
But for continuing "networking" opportunities with individuals who are dealing with these issues on a daily basis, there are three organizations that are worthy of special note, in no particular order: (1) the Division of Educational Telecommunications of the National University Continuing Education Association (NUCEA); (2) the National University Teleconference Network (NUTN); and (3) two commissions of the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges (NASULGC)--the Commission on Outreach and Technology Transfer (COTT) and the Commission on Information Technologies (CIT).
Each of these has a significant history of development, stability, contribution, and resource depth that makes them worthy of consideration and possible affiliation as a means to maintain professional currency. Further, already this year, each has held major, national conferences on topics relating to distance learning.
In this year's annual meeting of NUCEA, held in Boston this spring, the conference theme was "Technology Revolution: Possibilities and Perils for Higher Education." Guest speakers included futurist Joseph Coates; AT&T Bell Labs head of planning, Richard Wolf; futurist Chris Dede; and anthropologist Jennifer James. All spoke to the nature and extent of impact from technological changes and the role of higher education in helping deal with that. In addition, the division co-sponsored a pre-conference workshop on "Assuring High Quality Outcomes in Distance Education" and held special content sessions throughout the general meeting.
The division sponsors a listserv, "TELNEWS-L," and focuses on distance education policy issues that are national in scope with the NUCEA Distance Education Caucus. For more information on the Division of Educational Telecommunications, call NUCEA at 202-659-3130.
NUTN held its 14th Annual Conference in Newport, R.I., June 22-26, 1996, with the organization's commitment to a "New NUTN" more broadly conceived and directed. The conference theme, "The Distance Education Challenge: Multiple Technologies, Change, and Institutional Priorities," reflected the broader approach the organization is taking to the developing distance education agenda. Keynote speakers included Frank Newman, president of the Education Commission of the States, and Steven Gilbert, from the American Association of Higher Education.
In addition to providing teleconference activities (with special initiatives this year in the area of faculty development), NUTN maintains resource groups in areas such as technology, member services, and international interests. NUTN seeks partnerships with institutions, organizations, and individuals committed to enhancing professional practice in the distance education area.
For more information, call NUTN at 800-293-7679.
These two commissions of NASULGC provided a joint conference on Public Service Universities in the Digital Age," June 5-7, 1996, in Nashville, Tennessee. The two commissions were formed to identify and develop policy positions and advisory assessments on information technology and technology transfer through outreach efforts of special interest to the land-grant institutions. Individuals associated with such institutions will find the work of these commissions informative and, perhaps, helpful. For more information about these groups, call NASULGC at 202-778-0818.
While this brief overview of organizations is necessarily limited, it does indicate the wealth of resources available to individuals with questions about distance education. In the developing "digital" world, we find that "process," too, is becoming digital rather than linear. Thus, it is possible to skip selectively from technology or methodology without the necessity of always "re-inventing the wheel." The sources listed above can assist in that process.
For more information about the "DISTANCEducation" section of the Georgia Center Quarterly, or if you'd like to submit an article for consideration, contact Editorial Services, Georgia Center for Continuing Education, The University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602-3603, 706-542-1223, FAX: 706-542-5990, e-mail: shoresj@gactr.uga.edu.
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Web administrator: webmaster@gactr.uga.edu All contents copyright (C) 1996. University of Georgia Center for Continuing Education All rights reserved. Last revised: 1/31/96; 4:08:07 PM URL: http://www.gactr.uga.edu/GCQ/gcqWin96/de.html