Wednesday, December 8, 1999

LOGGING IN WITH . . . Dallas Hopkins An On-Line Student Enjoys Class Flexibility but Misses Social Contact By JEFFREY R. YOUNG Dallas Hopkins, a 30-year-old mapping technician for the South Kentucky Rural Electric Company, is one of the first people to take a course through the Kentucky Commonwealth Virtual University, which opened in the summer. He is taking NIS 210: Administering Microsoft Windows NT 4.0, which is a requirement to become a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer. The course is also offered at nearby Somerset Community College, but Mr. Hopkins chose to try the on-line version. Q. Why did you decide to enroll in a virtual university? A. Well, I work full time. I have a son who's 2 years old, and it gave me the freedom to take a class that I wanted to take without having to be there at a certain time of day. Q. Had you considered taking this course through a traditional university? A. I'm actually taking another [traditional] class at the same time. If I had taken [this] traditional university course, it would have been two nights a week, and it was just going to be tough for me. Q. Did you have any concerns about taking a course from a virtual institution, about its not being as high-quality as a traditional class? A. I feel like that it definitely is not the same quality. It can't be, because there's not someone there to answer questions face to face. But, it's also an area that I'm familiar with, and I knew that if a course was laid out, that I could pass it, if I spent the time on it. My instructor has been really good. He says to call him any time. He may not be there, but he'll get back to me. But there's a difference between calling someone and waiting on them to get back to you and talking to them in person. Q. Is the course living up to your expectations? A. Yes, yes it is. I'm getting what I need to know. Q. I often hear that distance learning is great because you can come to class in pajamas and slippers, and really do the course anywhere you want. Is that something you find valuable? A. My schoolwork is mainly done after 10 o'clock, after my son goes to bed. And that's great. I can spend time with him, and then do my schoolwork. Q. The flip side is that distance education can be lonely, because you're sitting there by yourself rather than in a classroom. Do you feel that you miss out on social interaction in doing the class this way? A. Yes. I'm sure that you would get more if you knew someone else taking a class who could discuss your questions. I think there are 20 people enrolled in this class at the same time, and I know none -- no one else -- in this class. Q. Could Kentucky Virtual University do more to encourage interaction? A. Yes. Here's one recommendation I would like to see: That would be to have RealAudio [and RealVideo] at a set time where you can see the instructor and be able to talk to the instructor over the Internet and have everyone else logged on at the same time. Q. Would you recommend distance education to others? A. I do, but they'll have to know that they're going to have to spend a lot of time on their own. They don't have an instructor there telling them each week that they've got to get this done. If it was something I wasn't familiar with, I may have had reservations. I couldn't imagine taking a chemistry class or something like that on line. Easy-to-print version E-mail this article

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