You are Professor of Continuing and Vocational Education at the University, of Wisconsin, in Madison WI, aren't you? Please tell us few words about your courses and about your students, or, may be, about your projects.
At present my department has 150 graduate students who are studying for Masters and doctoral degrees. Many are part time, a growing trend in the United States. These students are working full time as trainers in business and industry, teachers in small colleges, educators in community programs who want to increase their understanding of the theory and practice of teaching and learning with adults. I teach courses on distance teaching and learning, specifically an introductory course on distance education (which I teach via computer conferencing), a course on designing for distance learning, as well as a course on issues and problems in distance education. In addition I teach a course on college teaching and occasionally others on adult development and learning across the lifespan. Myresearch focuses on leraning at a distance, most recently emphasizing teaching and learning via computer.
At the Turkiye First Distance Education Symposium, Ankara, November 12-15, 1996 you were involved as a Keynote Speaker, guest of Turkish Ministry of National Education. Was this your first contact with Turkish distance education projects?
Yes, this was my first contact with Turkish distance education other than my reading of the literature that mentioned Anadolu University. It was wonderful to meet faculty and researchers face-to-face. It seems the issues and concerns of distance educators are fairly universal.
A month after this symposium, will be you so kind to give us an overall impression?
Overall I found the conference to be an exciting opportunity to bring together educators from many countries of the world to discuss a common interest - that of bring education to those who are at a distance from an educational institution or who cannot attend educational institutions for a variety of reasons. While I enjoyed the keynote addresses and other presentations, I am concerned that the emphasis was on the technology not on teaching/learning. The technology is important but it is only a tool. We know from over 25 years of research that usually there is no significant difference in achievement as we compare learning using a variety of technologies. Other variables appear to be involved. We need to research and discuss teaching methods, instructional design, supporting learners at a distance, etc. if we are to enhance learning at a distance. Learning must be our ultimate goal, not the [urchase of increasingly sophisticated technology.
Why a classical F2F conference about distance education ? Why not a tele- conference discussing the classical education improvement ?
You raise a good point. The Turkey conference did have one session via
compressed video to demonstate the technology, but should do more. People
love to come together face-to-face. It's fun to see each other, to visit
new regions of the world and experience a different culture. However, other
resource people could be part of the conference at much less cost if we
creatively use technology. There have been a couple of conferences on
distance education offered via technology including one we offered from
Wisconsin using a combination of satellite, audiotelelconferencing, computer
conferencing, and print-based materials. Hopefully we'll see more of this
use of technology in the future. It will allow many more to participate for
sure :)
Are you planning to take part to the projected second symposium in
Ankara, also?
Travel money is always hard to find, but I will try to attend.
In the last years, with general development of the distance education, a lot of subfields abbreviated as CMC, ODL, CAL, have been found, together with a lot of scientific events... In 1996 I heard about EDEN, and CALISCE, counting the European events only. I heard that your are the organizer of Distance Education Conference next summer, is it true ?
Yes, in August, 1997 WIsconsin will host the 13th annual Conference on
Teaching and Learning at a Distance. My husband created the conference and
organized it ofr many years. I then took over for 6 yeras and now another
memberof the department provides the leadership, but we still serve on the
planning committee. The United States will also host the International
Council on Distance Education's (ICDE) biennial conference in June, 1997 at
The Pennsylvania State University.
Arriving home from the Turkiye Symposium, I began to prepare a project
for an workshop, next June, devoted especially to teaching on Internet, and
teaching to use Internet in education. I called my project the Romanian
Internet Learning Workshop, shortly RILW. Consequently I would like to
know your opinion regarding such a project.
I think the project will attract a lot of attention. Teaching and learning
via the Internet continues to grow and we have much to learn. Bringing
together researchers and teachers online and/or face-to-face to discuss
issues of instructional design, facilitating learning, supporting learners
at a distance, training teachers and faculty to teach at a distance,
software and hardware issue, etc. is very important and VERY POPULAR. The
timing may not be perfect with the ICDE conference, but the project is an
important one for sure!!
Are you convinced about the future of the distance learning in a country
like Romania?
Romania, like the other countries of the world will face the challenge of keeping up with the changes around them in this global marketplace and the related need for education. This education will be needed not only for youth but for the adult population. For example, as I look at those of us who teach in the university, not only do we need to continue to learn about the changes in our academic fields of chemistry, psychology, etc. but university education is changing. Internet resources enhance our face-to-face classes. For some of us, we have learned to teach entire courses on the Net. Computer-based education joins satellite, videoconferencing, audioconferencing and print as one more way to provide education to those who may not be able to come face-to-face to professional meetings, graduate or undergraduate classes, etc. In the US distance education has become one way to ensure equality of access. Now youth in the small towns and villages of our farm land have the same access to advanced science, language and mathematics courses in their early school years as those who live in the larger cities with the large populations and specially trained teachers. I think distance education will have a role to play in the continuing development of Romania.
Please, tell us few words about other forthcoming conferences from 1997 in the field of Online Learning, and about your schedule.
I'll have to check further in terms of conferences in the future which focus on online learning and get back to you. One good site to check for future conferences and other information on distance education is the Web site of the University of Wisconsin-Extension at http://www.uwex.edu/disted/home.html
I hope to submit a paper proposal to your conference and wish you all the best of luck with the conference and in 1997. I too hope to see you in Romania!
Chere Gibson
University of Wisconsin-Madison