Technology has always been a component of delivery
in providing distance education to students. However, until very
recently, it has not had much of an impact on successful course
completions (50% or better) for students.
The Alberta Distance Learning Centre (ADLC) serves
approximately 20,000 students annually by providing them access
to courses at a distance. For 75 years this type of education was
typically delivered via correspondence using the postal system and
POTS (Plain Old Telephone System) as the communication link between
teacher and student. This reactive delivery model, requiring students
to write or phone their instructor for tutorial assistance, resulted
in a 40% successful completion rate.
In 1996 ADLC implemented e-mail as an optional form
of communication, and in the following year began an online program
for students to access courses asynchronously over the Internet.
At the same time the delivery model became proactive in reaching
students; rather than waiting for students to call, instructors
called students to provide assistance. In 2003, a synchronous pilot
project was implemented, requiring students to log on daily with
an instructor using a VOIP web conferencing system incorporating
an interactive white board. The results were astounding: successful
completion rates for 94% of the cohort group.
A more effective delivery model, allowing greater
interaction between student and teacher, facilitated through advanced
technology, resulted in more successful course completions.
