KANSAN.COM / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2011 / NEWS
EDUCATION
3A
University looks to strengthen online course options
BY MIKE LAVIERI mlavieri@kansan.com twitter.com/mlaveri
The University of Kansas may not be far behind the Big 12 when it comes to offering online courses through distance education, and is in the process of becoming stronger.
The University's Continuing Education department currently offers 150 independent study courses with about 120 of them offered online. Barbara Romzek, interim senior vice provost for academic affairs, hopes to offer more.
"We've started looking at distance education and asking ourselves how we can organize it better?" Romzek said. "How can we facilitate the offering of more courses through online media?"
Melinda Sinn, marketing and communications services coordinator of Continuing Education at Kansas State said K-State offered more than 600 distance-learning online courses in the spring 2011 semester. The University of Missouri offers only 125 independent study courses, but all are online.
The classes allow students to receive KU credit with the same materials and methods that the face-to-face classes offer. Independent Study courses are offered at the same tuition rates plus course fees, as conventional classes, but charge an additional mediated course fee of $30 per credit hour. The revenue generated helps keep Independent Study functioning and goes toward developing and offering new classes.
Sinn said K-State's distance-learning tuition is different. It is one fee, whether the student is in-state or out-of-state, but is higher than its in-state tuition. Missouri's fee is also a flat rate, at $245.60 per credit hour.
While standard courses run August through December or January through May, the online courses offered through KU's Continuing Education can be started at any time and completed within six months. Fred Pawlicki, director of Continuing Education, says this is a convenience for the students and that they can work at their own pace.
"A lot of students use them if they have to drop a course and they want to keep their load at the level to graduate in four," Pawlicki said.
Romzek said that they are recog
nizing that there are opportunities to offer some online degree programs at the graduate level. She also said there are opportunities to provide more online, mediated courses to Lawrence students. That means classes would be a hybrid mix of meeting in the class and being held online.
Before 2009, the university had a decentralized nature in that students had to take classes on campus. Now that Danny Anderson, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and Jeff Vitter, Provost, are in charge, the university is in the process of changing that.
"We have, for the last couple of years, been encouraging faculty members to think about ways to convert their courses," Romzek said.
The university has an incentive system in place to support professors while they create their online courses.
Jean Yoo, director of academic outreach and distance education, said professors are allocated a monetary stipend for development as well as instructional design support. Professors are paid extra, $125 per student, because it is considered overload on top of their normal teaching requirements.
"Half of the payment is distributed after the first assignment is turned in and graded", Yoo said. "And then the remaining half is paid out at end of the course, when that student finishes the course. If that student stops two-thirds of the way through we still pay them the second payment."
ONLINE COURSES
OFFERED THROUGH
DISTANCE
EDUCATION
Kansas State: 606
Missouri: 125
Kansas: 120
As the university looks to expand distance eduction learning, students will have more opportunities and flexibility in their course options.
Edited by Tali David
YODER (CONTINUED FROM 1A)
Kansan: What is your advice to students who are thinking about a career in politics?
Yoder: I want students in general to use their university experience to challenge their ideology, to challenge their preconceived notion and to take this opportunity where they really have a chance to start with a blank slate in terms of who they, they believe in, what they see for their future and to join organizations, join groups that may not be a natural fit for them. I think a lot of people probably build their ideology and their ideas based on how they were brought up. We've got a lot of people whose parents are liberal, so they're liberal or their parents are conservative so they're conservative. I encourage everybody to really push the envelope and try to challenge particularly those things they might have been taught growing up, and open their minds a bit. That was useful for me. As far as people looking for a life of public service or a career in public service, I would encourage them to do internships in the legislature. I did that when I was at KU. I would encourage them to get involved in campus politics. I mean, if you can handle student politics, you can handle real world politics. In fact, sometimes real world politics seems less refined and less mature than campus politics. Because all these are here doing this, they're doing it in the real world too. And some of the very same battles you fight here you fight in the real world. There are so many ways in which some one who wants a career in public service can use their college experience to really build a foundation.
can't agree and that's the result. We may have to do some temporary extensions until we get an agreement. But given the status of our debt numbers, we cannot continue down the road as business as usual. I'm hoping that the President and the Senate will engage with us on meaningful conversations about making reductions. I don't know how we're gonna come to an agreement.
Kansan: Do you think Obama and the Republicans will be able to negotiate budget in time to prevent a government shut down?
Yoder: I think shutting down the government is a really bad idea. It's something that outta be avoided. It's something thah both parties outta be serious about and not use as a negotiating tactic because I think when you do that the real losers are the American people who have to deal with the instability and lack of assuracy. So I think that's not the best way to handle it, but it's happened before where the parties
Kansan: What did you talk about in your meeting with the Chancellor?
Yoder: We talked about grants, Pell grants for students and access to education. Making sure that the federal government continues to support students who can't afford to go to school. I was on grants and students loans when I was here so it's an issue that's near and dear to me. I really believe we need to ensure that everyone has access to higher education who has the ambition and interest. I really believe the role of the federal government is to create opportunity and eliminate barriers for individuals to succeed. 'I think the system we've built in this country, which is unique in terms of many other countries in the world, is one in which you rise and fall based upon your own merit. But if you're not allowed to rise and fall based upon your own merit because of government rules and regulations, or too high of taxes or the inability to get an education, then it's hard to really argue that we have a free market and free enterprise system. We also talked about research funding and the cancer institute, the cancer designation. I want KU to get that NCI designation and making sure we're doing everything we can to assist there is critical.
See this interview with Rep. Kevin Yoder, KU alumnus, in its entirety at kansan.com
Yoder: We're in a real challenge, where we don't have any money to invest. We don't have money to invest in any of these programs. When we put money into grants, we're actually just borrowing it from other countries and ultimately the people we're giving it to are going to have to pay it back because it's that generation's responsibility.
Kansan: Speaking of Pell Grants, what do you think of proposals to cut funding from the Pell Grants program?
I think it's a priority, but as we work to resolve the fact that we're borrowing 40 cents out of every dollar we spend and we have to make reductions. I don't know that we can have sacred cows in that conversation where we say, well, let's cut it, but let's not cut it from NPR, or let's not cut it from public television, let's not cut it from Pell Grants, let's not cut it from seniors, let's not cut it from the military. You know, I think everything has to be on the table. I'm hesitant, even for things I love, to say well, this one can't be touched ever because to have a serious conversation about balancing the budget, everybody has to engage. That means every recipient of tax dollars. Although I don't wanna see Pell Grants be the target of reductions, it's hard to justify taking anything off the table when we are in such dire straits.
CAMPUS
—Edited by Danielle Packer
Pothole repairs temporary
BY AMANDA KISTNER akistner@kansan.com
Aaron Harris/KANSAN
Each winter, vehicles take a beating from potholes throughout campus and across town. Facilities Operations will start repairing potholes, although the number of potholes on campus has actually decreased.
The drive toward campus on Naismith Drive has gotten bumpier this winter. This is one of the many roads plagued by potholes that the University's Facilities Operations plans to repair this spring.
Now that the winter season is coming to an end, Larry Rawlings, assistant director of Facilities Operations, and his team are looking to repair all of the potholes. They will start by putting temporary patches on the roads until more permanent repairs are necessary. Temporary repairs can range anywhere from $50 for minor ones to much more for larger ones.
Changes in winter weather, heavy traffic and already-deteriorating roadways all play a factor in creating potholes. "Freezing and thawing ice can do a lot of damage to the roads, especially if it's a high-traffic area." Rawlings said.
All potholes are dealt with as soon as possible, and the Lawrence public works department has set up a pothole report form for residents that will let officials know
where new potholes are.
It is difficult to estimate how many potholes will need to be repaired this spring. Over the past few years the number of potholes have actually decreased. Rawlings said he thinks it's because of the preventative maintenance Facilities Operations have done
as well as other road repairs done during the spring and summer. The roads with the most potholes are Irving Hill, Memorial Drive, Naismith Drive and Constant Avenue because of heavy traffic.
— Edited by Jacque Weber
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