Reaching Out to the Teachers of Teachers: Distance Education in Rural Alaska.

Autor/in	Reyes, Maria Elena
Titel	Reaching Out to the Teachers of Teachers: Distance Education in Rural Alaska.
Quelle	(2002), (20 Seiten) PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Monographie
Schlagwörter	Alaska Natives; American Indian Education; Computer Anxiety; Distance Education; Geographic Isolation; Higher Education; Inservice Teacher Education; Resistance to Change; Rural Education; Teacher Educator Education; Technical Assistance; Web Based Instruction + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Inuit; Distance study; Distance learning; Fernunterricht; Hochschulbildung; Hochschulsystem; Hochschulwesen; Lehrerfortbildung; Ländliche Erwachsenenbildung; Technische Hilfe; Web Based Training
Abstract	In the spring of 2001, the University of Alaska Fairbanks School of Education included a web-based instructional component in all distance education classes. This component aims to mediate access and equity issues in providing postsecondary education to rural Alaska residents. The number of courses offered through distance education had been limited by the time constraints involved in audio-conferencing, which had been the main means of delivering coursework. Students taking courses by distance delivery, including many Alaska Natives, were taking up to 15 years to complete their college degree. Geographic isolation also made it difficult for already licensed teachers to take additional coursework, either for professional development or to climb the salary scale. Almost immediately following the decision, some members of the rural faculty showed resistance to learning the web-based system. The heightened nature and tone of the resistance suggested fear in using the system, fear of technology in general, and fear of change. In the fall of 2001, a team flew to the rural campuses to provide technology training workshops. Observations made during the campus visits indicated that well-equipped computer labs at some sites were under-utilized; technical support staff was available at each site; and under-attendance at many workshops implicated faculty indifference to learning the web-based system. It was concluded that reluctant faculty must be accorded every possible support measure to assist them in learning to utilize new technologies. (TD)
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC