Check out today's FACET distance educators presentation

And if you miss the telecast, you can borrow a tape -- read on.

By Lisa Denlinger

This morning (Nov. 6), the Indiana University School of Continuing Studies (SCS) will present the second telecast in its Faculty Development Series through the Virtual Indiana Classroom interactive, teleconferencing network. (Campus locations for the 9-11 a.m. presentation are listed at the end of this story.)

For those who cannot attend, videotapes will be available. The title of the presentation is "Advancing Learning, Closing the Distance."

For some time, technologies have been praised as a means whereby universities can reach individuals unable to attend on-campus classes, faculty can use innovative teaching methods, and students can take responsibility for their own learning.

To test these assumptions, help faculty determine how best to incorporate technologies into their teaching, and enhance the quality of learning in distance education environments, SCS and the Faculty Colloquium on Excellence in Teaching (FACET) undertook a three-year project funded by the Strategic Directions Initiative. The project pairs distance education faculty with FACET partners to assess the impact of technologies on the quality of learning.

The telecast will feature project participants and some of their students, who will discuss what they have learned during the first two years of the project. Participants represent IU campuses statewide. They teach courses at both the graduate and undergraduate levels; represent disciplines as varied as nursing, education psychology, public and environmental affairs, and health, physical education, and recreation; and use such diverse technologies as two-way and one-way video, the Web, videotape and television.

The following VIC sites will be available:

IUB: Education 1002; IU East: Whitewater 119; IPFW: Helmke B52; IUPUI: ES 2101; IU Kokomo: Main 111; IU Northwest: Hawthorn 338; IU South Bend: Administration 200; and IU Southeast: Knobview 112.

To borrow a videotape of the presentation, contact Barbara Edmonds at vicops@indiana.edu. When you request a tape, provide your name, campus mail address, and phone number.

Questions? Call Lisa Denlinger at 812-855-1656, E-mail scs@indiana.edu.