UpDate - Vol. 14, No. 28, Page 3
April 20, 1995
Distance learning; FOCUS program experiencing dramatic growth

     Mary Pritchard, manager of the University's FOCUS (Flexible
Options for Continued University Study)/Distance Learning program,
said semester registrations have risen from fewer than 50 when she
joined the program in 1989 to more than 700 registrations last fall.
     The logistics of the program also have exploded, she said. Twenty
thousand videotapes and 1,500 exams must be handled each semester.
     FOCUS brings University courses via videotapes and interactive
technology to students throughout the region, according to Pritchard.
The program serves all the University's colleges, except physical
education and marine studies. The latter handles its own interactive
link between Newark and Lewes.
     "Our students are busy people, frequently holding full-time jobs,
often with work or travel schedules that prevent them from attending
campus classes. FOCUS offers them the flexibility they need. They tend
to be mature, with the vast majority over 30 years old, and they have
to be organized and goal-oriented to succeed in this kind of program,"
Pritchard pointed out.
     Serving this school within a school can be hectic at times, she
said. January is especially busy. When the fall semester ends, Winter
Session classes are under way and the program is gearing up for spring
semester. "We have to keep detailed logs and records about course
logistics and when materials are due," Pritchard explained. "We also
work with faculty, the University Bookstore and provide one-stop
shopping and occasional hand holding for students.
     "Everyone pitches in to get exams and materials logged in and
mailings out on schedule. We become well acquainted with the UPS
driver, as we ship approximately 50 boxes of videotapes a day at the
beginning of each semester," Pritchard added.
     In addition to course videotapes, FOCUS sends course syllabi,
hand-outs and book order forms to each registered student. The
University also provides a toll-free phone number so that students can
interact with faculty during telephone office hours.
     FOCUS works with department heads, individual faculty members,
University Media Services and the scheduling office to arrange the
course schedule in the instructional television classrooms.
     University Media Services videotapes each course in its entirety
and, depending on FOCUS enrollments, makes from five to as many as 60
copies of each videotaped class.
     Videotaped courses are sent to individuals for at-home viewing
with mid-terms and final exams given at the University. Courses also
are offered at work sites, such as hospitals, with exams proctored by
work site coordinators.
     In addition to videotaped courses, some courses are live and
interactive. For example, a limited number of graduate nursing courses
with one-way video and two-way audio capabilities have been broadcast
via satellite to sites in Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
     Interactive video technology, with two-way video and two-way
audio, connects the Newark campus with the Higher Education Building
in Georgetown. Students taking these courses must attend classes at
the distant site according to the campus schedule in order to interact
with faculty and participate in class discussions.
     The University also participates in national distance learning
systems, such as the National Technological University (NTU). NTU
offers master's degree programs in engineering through satellite
broadcast of graduate courses provided by more than 40 universities,
including courses from the University's College of Engineering.
     Begining this fall, the College of Human Resources' Hotel,
Restaurant and Institutional Management Program will offer courses
through Mind Extension University, a cable education network which
reaches more than 26 million homes.
     "The most exciting thing about FOCUS is that we are reaching out
to people who find it difficult, or even impossible, to attend
traditional campus classes. We are, basically, a service program. A
key part of our job is to assist the faculty in bridging the distance
between the student and the University. The rapid growth of
FOCUS/Distance Learning demonstrates the need and interest in this
program," Pritchard said.
                                                   -Sue Swyers Moncure