By Jo Zulkowsky
IVCCs pilot course into cyberspace is going so well that it will be offered again in the fall along with two additional Internet courses.
Randy Rambo, who is teaching English 101 Internet now, will also be teaching English 102 Internet, and Alice Steljes will teach Accounting 101 Internet.
Rambo and the students report that the Internet class is convenient and challenging but also time consuming.
The main advantage of the class, according to Rambo, is that "students have a convenience in working from home which can easily fit into busy schedules."
Student Mags Belestri said, "The class gives the flexibility to work and offer comments any time of the day or night, making it more convenient for me in light of a busy schedule."
Peggy Lucky agreed: "I have a very busy work schedule, and trying to meet the requirements of school in the traditional setting just doesn’t work for everyone. This class allows me to manage my own time and assignments."
Sean Turner added, "I can use a course that I don’t have to bother about going to the college to take," and Barb Crowley said, "I would not have taken the course any other way."
Rambo said the students are keeping up with the course work, "although a couple have a tendency to put the work off until the last minute." He added that the course puts a lot of responsibility on the students "since there isn’t a classroom setting where students are constantly reminded that assignments are due."
The course does take up more time than a traditional course taught on campus, Rambo said, not only for the students but also for him. So far he has put about 120 pages of notes on the web in about 100 web pages.
Lucky complimented Rambo on the time and effort he has put into the course.
"I have printed each one (of the class notes) and placed them in a book for future use at home, school, and even at work," Lucky said. "This is not to say that he doesn’t challenge us as students, because the work is making me look deep inside for what is becoming a rewarding experience."
In addition to keeping up with the course work, all of the students who signed up have stayed, and no one is failing, Rambo said. At the beginning of the semester, each student picked a fake name under which their grades would be posted. That allows each student in the class to compare how they are doing with the other students, but also protects their privacy.
The students use a Web Board to communicate and critique each other’s work, and they communicate with Rambo through e-mail.
They have met face-to-face once, on the first day of class. At that time, a picture of the class members was taken, and it now on the home page, so students can remember what their fellow students look like.
Overall, Rambo said he is very happy with the way the course has gone, and he is "looking forward to finding ways to change the course before next semester."
Among the changes he would like to make is adding a chat room so the students would have a set time to meet through the Internet and discuss what is going on the class.
He also hopes to make more help available to students who are having computer problems at home. Currently, Rambo is the only person the students can contact about computer problems.
"I hope in the fall of 1999 when this course will be offered the second time that I have improved and the course will be better," he said.
April 8, 1999 the Apache