Volume 27 | Issue 3 October 7, 2013 what’s INSIDE Going the distance Heart Beats Online, Open Entry Open Exit (OE/OE), and Hybrid Learning courses open new avenues for students By Peter Hubbard NEWS EDITOR Distance Learning, briefly summarized, is access to learning through electronic Schoolcraft's Heart Beats media when the learners are on thanks to talented Art separated by distance and Department Head Sarah time. Basically, learners ac- Olson. cess instructional material Page 10 through virtual mediums (predominately the internet) Don Jon Delivers instead of going to to physi- cal classrooms. Although in- structors and students are in different locations, continual interaction facilitates the un- derstanding and application of content. “The reason online classes are growing has to do with the population. Now people are The acting/directorial chops online natives, and it’s how fu- of Joseph Gordon Levitt ture generations are learning,” should not be missed. Stacy Whiddon, Schoolcraft Applied Science (AAS) in Avia- PHOTO BY LINDSEY WELLS Page 18 College Instructional Designer tion Management, Business- The OE/OE Lab located in the Biomedical Technology building is points out. She explains that General, Marketing & Applied open to students enrolled in Open Entry/Open Exit courses. Stories from the online courses were origi- Management, and Small Busi- Field nally utilized for students who ness for Entrepreneurs. In ad- found it impossible to come Number of courses offered online since 2003 dition to these degrees other Number of courses offered online since 2003 to campus. However, times 1000 2012 2007 1000 credentials such as certificates 2012 2007 have changed, and now many can all be completed without 2011 2006 2011 2006 students find they learn better 800 2010 2005 setting a foot on campus. 2010 2005 through online formats being 800 2009 2004 By combining the various 2008 2003 2009 2004 600 comfortable with digital tech- modalities in which courses nology because they grew up 2008 2003 are offered at Schoolcraft 600 400 with it. Younger crowds often (Online, OE/OE, hybrid, and prefer this medium. face-to-face), students can Ocelot's Soccer teams take 200 Now, Online classes have construct their own learning 400 on Lake Michigan. Find out skyrocketed at Schoolcraft plan designed to complete 0 how it all went down. over the past decade. To illus- 2012 2011 2009 2010 2003 2005 2008 their degree requirements. 2004 2006 2007 1000 Page 22 trate this gain, let's compare This is fantastic news for 200 2012 Fall Semester 2003 with Fall students that may want or INDEX Semester 2013. The statistics need to take classes outside of 800 2011 used for the comparison are campus. But the question be- 0 News ..........................2 based on the number of dif- comes are courses completed 2010 2012 2011 2009 2010 2003 2005 2008 Campus Crime ...........5 ferent courses along with the online viewed as any less pres- 2004 2006 2007 600 Editorials ....................6 number of sections. Courses tigious than their classroom 2009 such as English and Math counterparts? GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY URMILA BILGI Ocelot Opinions .........8 have multiple sections of the 400 Cheri Holman, Associate explains. courses, however, would fall 2008 Campus Life ............ 10 same course running each Dean of Distance Learning, Every online course offered short in conveying all distance Secrets of the Quill . 13 semester. In Fall 2003, 75 dif- answers. “It is expected that through Schoolcraft’s virtual learning has to offer. Open En- ferent courses/120 sections 200 2007 A&E .......................... 18 regardless of the modality in classroom is designed to be try/Open Exit (OE/OE) and Hy- were offered online. A mere which you choose to complete as effective and reputable as brid courses are also available Sports ..................... 22 decade later in 2013, 110 differ- 2006 your coursework, the learn- courses taught in traditional allowing students to minimize 0 Crossword ............... 30 ent courses/293 sections were ing outcomes should be the settings. Associate Dean Hol- their trips to campus. Hybrid 2005 Horoscope ............... 31 offered, with that number con- same. Because Schoolcraft man explains that “at School- courses combine in-class in- tinuing to climb as late-start- does not differentiate between craft, we develop courses as a struction with flexible online CONTACT US ing sections are added based modalities and thus learning team. The team consists of one learning. Most often students 2004 on the needs of students. outcomes should be the same or more faculty members, an attend classes on campus News/Advertising: Not only are vast selections regardless of the format of the instructional designer, and a for presentations, laboratory 2003 (734) 462-4422 of classes available online, course, students will note that project manager. The criteria work, and discussions, while Letter to the Editor: but entire degrees can be ob- used to develop and evaluate doing reading assignments, [email protected] only courses are listed on their tained strictly over the web, transcript, with no designa- courses are aligned with best research, and projects online. provided the correct classes tion for the format in which practices in the online envi- This format benefits stu- are selected. Schoolcraft stu- they were completed.” ronment. Schoolcraft College dents with both the flexibility dents can obtain the following The stigma that used to ac- has fully adopted the stan- of online delivery with the degrees strictly online: Associ- company distance learning is dards established by Quality personal interactions of class- ates in Arts (AA), Associates now dissolving into history. Matters (QM), an international room settings. in Science (AS), Associates in “By universities and colleges organization and leader in “OE/OE courses help stu- General Studies (AGS), Associ- adopting common standards, quality assurance for online dents meet their educational ates in Business Administra- the quality of online courses education.” tion (ABA), and Associates in is improving,” Ms. Whiddon To simply describe online continued on page 2 2 NEWSANDFEATURES Re-vamped College Reading Need to read courses maximize student learning By Peter Hubbard Dr. Dianne Aitken, Adjunct Faculty but most students haven’t had formal 050: College Reading, and Colls 053: NEWS EDITOR in the Collegiate Skills department, reading instruction since the fourth Critical Reading and Thinking Appli- explains that the new programs “teach grade.” Because of the obvious devel- cations. Specific classes tailored to ESL Unfortunately for college students, students more to learn in general and opmental gap between fourth grade students and nursing are also avail- textbooks fail to word their material optimize learning. They can read, and college, “a lot of students don’t able. “The majority of our students are simply. In efforts to explain ideas as but they need to apply that learning learn to read college texts, separate placed in our classes based on place- precisly as possible, textbook authors to college reading.” Responsible for a from novel reading.” ment tests, but a few students volunteer sometimes sacrifice using the simple significant portion of re-designing the The courses will provide a much- and realize the benefit of learning how common language. To students’ dis- courses, she made sure to describe how needed service to all, regardless of the brain works and how to process it,” may, this can result in complicated the brain works to illustrate the best their assumed reading level. “It’s Daiek assessed, referring to how uni- sentences and vocabulary that sound learning methods. A notable compari- a blended psychology and reading versal the course is. foreign compared to everyday conver- son she utilized was that “coaches al- course,” Dr. Aitken notes, explaining She stresses that, for these courses, sation. ways instruct athletes how to optimize its nature. In order to retain the most “the need has never been greater, Luckily for the students at School- their bodies, but educators often aren’t text information, students are taught because people are going to be hired craft, their struggles are sympathized taught how to optimize their students’ cognitive strategies for recalling pages. based on their ability for higher level with. After refining and reconstruct- brains.” So far, the fall semester appears to be reading. Those that read well will get ing the classes formerly available in Combating a common misconcep- fruitful for the college reading courses the highest paying jobs.” the English department, this fall pre- tion about the classes, Dr. Deborah by the increased enrollment. “We keep For students that may want to get mieres the first semester of the revised Daiek, Associate Dean-Learning Sup- adding, but I’d say about 25 sections, ahead of the game and sign up for courses. Now administrators are con- port Services, clarifies, “Most of our with about 20 to 25 students per class.” these courses, a promise can be made: fident the programs will prove more students are developmental, not reme- Dr. Daiek reports, a significant number Collegiate Skills will teach you how to effective than before in accomplishing dial. They may have lost their interest, for its debut year. read better, satisfaction guaranteed. ■ their ultimate objective--maximizing or they’ve never been taught. In high In the Collegiate Skills department, the learning potential of Schoolcraft’s school they have to read short