LSUS receives $60,000 grant
to study distance education 07/17/03

Three LSUS computer science faculty members have received a $60,000 grant from the Louisiana Board of Regents to study the future of distance education.

Professor John Sigle, the research team leader, Professor Adrienne Critcher and Jeff Key, a computer science instructor, believe the availability of faster computers and greater Internet access will create opportunities to restore many strengths of the traditional classroom to distance learning.

“Higher education in this country must evolve technologically to better meet the learning needs of students who, because of time and location, cannot take full advantage of the traditional classroom,” Sigle said. “Current approaches to this challenge are known collectively as ‘distance learning’ and include Web-based education, which often consists of reading assignments and online discussion groups, as well as live video conferencing. Unfortunately, many strengths of the traditional classroom have been sacrificed in providing distance learning with the hardware, software and level of Internet access available today.”

The research is also intended to lead to the development of dual-mode instruction techniques that include components for both “synchronous” and “asynchronous” instruction. With “synchronous” instruction, students can interact with the instructor in real time, Sigle explained, while with “asynchronous” instruction, students work on their own time schedules, largely independent of the instructor’s schedule.

“Dual-mode instruction techniques that share content,” Sigle said, “will reduce costs and improve flexibility for students as they choose their own combination of synchronous and asynchronous instruction, even within a single course.”

With the grant, the researchers will create a laboratory where specific training technologies and methods can be tried and the results measured and evaluated. From these experiments, a framework will be developed that extends currently available tools to deliver high-quality instruction in a simple, cost effective manner.

LSUS will train instructors to teach classes using the framework, Sigle said, “improving the quality of and access to education for the citizens in our service area and beyond.”