The Summer 1997 issue of the Georgia Center Quarterly included the first installment of a series highlighting the Georgia Center's academic credit programs. Profiled were the American Language Program and University System of Georgia Independent Study.
This issue looks at the University System Center - Gwinnett and a major new push for University System of Georgia Independent Study, as this past November, UGA became one of 50-plus university-based sites of the Southern Regional Education Board Electronic Campus.
The Georgia Center provides intensive academic programs of study for students who pursue their education in traditional and non-traditional patterns and is committed to excellence in instruction, scholarship, and service.
With courses beginning to be offered, entirely, via the World Wide Web, University System of Georgia Independent Study(USGIS) continues to add to its ability to meet students where they are, with the coursework, credit, and services they expect.
In November, USGIS joined the Southern Regional Electronic Campus (SREC), a far-reaching network of universities and colleges across the South that connects students with more than 100 programs and courses from 50-plus colleges. The SREC is coordinated through the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB), founded 50 years ago "to improve education through interstate cooperation and sharing." The SREB is headquartered in Atlanta. Member states are as follows: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia.
The Electronic Campus institutions have all pledged to adhere to a "Principles of Good Practice" code, ensuring quality educational experiences for the students. All institutions involved are accredited by a regional accrediting body. The "Campus" setup provides the great potential of shared courseloads among the institutions and an expanded pool of students without additional dormitories and the like, among many other benefits. At present, undergraduate and graduate courses are available in arts and sciences, business, engineering, and education, with many more courses to be offered in many more disciplines soon.
"The link from the Southern Regional Electronic Campus to Independent Study helps extend our boundaries to the 14 other states involved, enriching the diversity of the on-line experience for students as they interact with staff and faculty of the other institutions," said Pamela B. Kleiber, head of University System of Georgia Independent Study. "The program reflects a dynamic environment in distance education, with lots of players, and lots of possibilities."
"The SREC provides another outlet for Independent Study courses," she said.
University System of Georgia Independent Study offers courses from four University System universities - Georgia College and State University, Georgia Southern University, North Georgia College and State University, and Valdosta State University - in addition to The University of Georgia, which administers the program through the Georgia Center.
Currently, University System of Georgia Independent Study has 11 courses up on the Web, and is developing 17 more with a target "Web-able" date of August 1998. Students may register for available Web courses just as they would for other Independent Study courses.
"These courses can be taken by anyone with a computer who is eligible to take Independent Study courses and has access to the Internet. Currently, we have many efforts underway to deliver instructional materials on-line. These Web courses are wholly on-line. All you need is a Web browser and an Internet connection," said D. Scott Smith, technology and instructional design specialist with USGIS.
Students can earn academic credit online through USGIS Web courses. Certain texts and required instructional materials cannot be included online due to copyright or technology restrictions. All USGIS examinations, including exams for Web courses, must be taken at an accredited college or university official test site. USGIS considers the use of accredited test sites as vital in maintaining the integrity of academic credit online courses.
The courses now available are:
"Interpersonal Relations and Marriage" (CFD 393), UGA
"English Literature from 1700 to the Present" (ENG 232G), UGA
"Writing for Business" (ENG 302G), Valdosta State University
"Children's Literature" (ENG 455Q), Georgia Southern University
"American History Since 1865" (HIS 252), UGA
"History of Georgia" (HIS 470Q), Valdosta State University
"Elementary Latin I" (LAT 101), UGA
"Principles of Public Administration" (POL 338Q), Georgia College and State University
"Outdoor Recreation and Environmental Awareness" (REC/FRS 331), UGA
Students Students enrolled in Web courses through Independent Study are able to take advantage of many curriculum-enhancing features. The Web courses offered through Independent Study can include:
Quiz modules for self-assessment for coursecontent mastery in preparation for mid-term and final examinations given in university and college testing centers.
Instructors also benefit from teaching in an on-line environment. There are many student management and instructional design features that instructors can use easily. Faculty have the guidance of an instructional design and technology specialist in designing their Independent Study courses. Instructors can take advantage of:
According to Kleiber, USGIS growth on the Web will be somewhat demand-driven. "One of our functions is to match faculty who are interested in teaching in the Web environment with students who are interested in learning in such an environment," she said. "We are working toward our own electronic campus here in Georgia."
For additional information about Independent Study on the World Wide Web, you can call 706-542-3243, Toll-Free 1-800-877-3243, Fax: 706-542-6635.
For University System of Georgia Independent Study information, the same toll-free number, or e-mail:usgis@arches.uga.edu, WWW: http://www.gactr.uga.edu/usgis.
Long before teleconferencing, downlinking, and other distance education technologies, the University's pub lic service and outreach programs were meeting needs all around the State of Georgia. A relatively recent, and pressing, educational need developed almost in the University's backyard, some 40 miles away in Gwinnett County.
Since 1984, The University of Georgia, through the Georgia Center for Continuing Education, has been part of a unique post-secondary consortium to serve Gwinnett County and surrounding communities. The consortium includes UGA and two Atlanta schools - Georgia State University and DeKalb College, in cooperation with the Gwinnett Technical Institute, which is located nearby. The arrangement provides students resident credit and undergraduate - and graduate-level courses under one roof, at the University System Center - Gwinnett, in Lawrenceville, Georgia.
The phenomenal growth of the Gwinnett area in recent decades created a plethora of post-secondary educational needs in Gwinnett County. In the 1980s, Gwinnett County became one of the fastest-growing areas in the United States, with a 98% increase in population between 1980 and 1990. In 1995, the population of Gwinnett County surpassed that of the City of Atlanta (Gwinnett County is located just northeast of Atlanta).
Demographic data indicate that the county consists of a highly educated population, with 44% of its residents having taken college courses or holding degrees, and 46% employed in professional or managerial positions. During 1980-1990, the business environment was thriving with nearly 100,000 business licenses issued. Business and industry from every sector of the market located in the county, creating almost 16,000 new jobs per year.
In response to the needs and demands of such a rapidly growing population and business center, the University System of Georgia Board of Regents established the University System Center - Gwinnett in 1984. Since its opening, the Gwinnett Center has seen its enrollment grow from 750 to more than 3,500 students.
Classes were conducted in the Gwinnett Technical Institute from 1984-1989. In 1989, the Gwinnett Center moved into its present location, which originally utilized 20,000 square feet. Periodic build-outs have increased the square footage to 82,000. Today, 75 people are employed full-time at the Center and another 150 work part-time.
The Gwinnett Center programs include approximately 50 different associate or dual-degree programs, four master's degree programs, and various other undergraduate and graduate course offerings.
The University of Georgia had offered courses at various sites in Gwinnett County since the 1950s, but in 1984, UGA's programs became part of the newly created Gwinnett Center. As enrollment and course offerings increased, the need to provide a greater level of on-site services became the catalyst for the establishment of The University of Georgia Gwinnett Office in 1991, which is a unit of the Georgia Center.
The office provides administrative support and coordination to UGA programs, services to students, information and referral to the public, and promotes the University's presence in Gwinnett. Programs offered on-site by UGA include master's degree programs in education, adult education, social work, and public administration. In addition, courses leading to master's degrees, specialist's degrees, and teacher certification from a range of education majors are available.
The University's program at Gwinnett is dynamic and active. Enrollment in these programs has increased to the present level of 400-500 per quarter, resulting in an enrollment last year of 1,439 students and 1,788 course registrations. Approximately 30 courses are offered each quarter with several courses offered via distance learning.
The UGA-Gwinnett Office handled more than 12,000 requests for information and referral during the 1996-97 fiscal year (July 1996 through June 1997). In addition, more than 2,000 students utilized the on-site computer lab for OASIS (UGA's On-Line Access Student Information System) registration and other computer services. Demand for current and additional courses of study continue. The only barrier to expanding present programs and developing new ones is space.
Along with the need for degree programs, there is great potential for continuing education and lifelong learning in Gwinnett County. The Georgia Center, representing UGA, in conjunction with DeKalb College, launched a new effort in Gwinnett this year to initiate and provide continuing education programming.
In 1995-1996, a few programs were scheduled during quarter breaks, weekends, and other off hours. In 1996-97, the numbers of continuing education programs more than doubled with courses offered in governmental training and human resource development.
When the last remaining space available for a build-out at the Gwinnett Center was under construction in the fall of 1996, the Georgia Center and DeKalb College's Division of Continuing Education were offered the equivalent of two large classrooms that could be dedicated for continuing education programming. Each institution secured the resources to furnish and equip a classroom, and in September 1997, an open house was held to dedicate the joint program and conference space.
The University of Georgia and DeKalb College proposed to develop and expand the number and breadth of continuing education programs offered in Gwinnett. These include programs/courses that (1) lead to professional licensure and certification; (2) provide programs for all levels of business and industry personnel and for state and local government managers; (3) offer workforce education for potential employees, language skills courses, life enrichment courses, and special topic seminars; and (4) conduct teleconferences in a wide variety of subjects.
Given the increase in programming at Gwinnett and the potential that dedicated space made possible, office space was made available for a Georgia Center continuing education coordinator, a position that was filled in August 1997 by Linda Hope. The post provides support to programs already in place and is charged with extensive program development over the next year.
Three programs were just offered through this new position - "Understanding, Valuing, and Utilizing Diversity"; "Training and Facilitating in a Changing World"; and "Restructuring for Results." Audiences targeted were managers, human resource personnel, and trainers and facilitators.
The demand for post-secondary educational programs that began in Gwinnett in the 1980s is predicted to continue unabated into the next century. Conservative estimates place Gwinnett Center enrollment at 5,000 by the year 2000. Approximately 80% of the county's high school graduates plan to attend a post-secondary institution while the county's highly educated workforce need opportunities to obtain graduate degrees and continuing education. In July 1996, the University System of Georgia Board of Regents approved the concept of "a partnership between The University of Georgia and DeKalb College to establish a campus in Gwinnett County and offer a range of two-year, four-year, graduate, and public service programs. This would be a '21st Century' campus, using modern technology in innovative, creative ways to deliver educational programs and services."
In December of 1997, finance issues were resolved between the University System of Georgia, the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners, and the State of Georgia legislature to move ahead with the design and construction of the new Gwinnett Center.
In March, UGA formed the Gwinnett Program Committee to prepare the University's educational curriculum for the expanded course offerings. UGA will provide upper-division undergraduate courses, graduate-degree programs, and adult and continuing education programs. Lower-division courses will be provided by DeKalb College, which will be renamed Georgia Perimeter College on July 1.
For more information, contact Dorothy F. Carrillo, The University of Georgia coordinator, UGA Office, University System Center - Gwinnett, 5155 Sugarloaf Parkway, Lawrenceville, Georgia 30043-5704, Phone: 770-995-6885, e-mail:dcarrill@uga.cc.uga.edu.
Web administrator: webmaster@gactr.uga.edu All contents copyright © 1997 University of Georgia Center for Continuing Education. All rights reserved. Last revised: Tue, Jun 30, 1998, 1:01:36 PM URL: http://www.gactr.uga.edu/gcqwin98/indstd.html