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Global Connections a Click AwayOnline learning is no longer a novelty in higher education, but Fairleigh Dickinson University has gone a step further by becoming the first traditional university to require all undergraduates to take four online courses, and by introducing Global Virtual Faculty (see main story), a group of scholars and practitioners based around the world. Students log onto webcampus.fdu.edu and access their particular courses. They are greeted by instructions from the faculty, resource materials and various assignments. Through e-mail and discussion boards, they react to the lessons planned and interact with each other. Under the guidance of the on-campus faculty member, Global Virtual Faculty electronically communicate their expertise and viewpoints on particular issues. From there, the “discussions” and the lessons flow as they would in a normal classroom exchange, sometimes diverging from the original path but usually offering something new and challenging. The distance-learning initiative began in 2001 with the introduction of the new freshman online University Core course, The Global Challenge. In 2002, new courses were introduced for sophomores, and more options are being developed for juniors and seniors. (Guests can access both The Global Challenge and The Life of the Mind sophomore online course by going to webcampus.fdu.edu/, and logging in using the username “guest” and the password “guest.” Then, click on “Courses” in the upper row and select either class. While only those enrolled can see the discussion boards, guests can browse the course materials and assignments.) More information about the Global Virtual Faculty and the distance-learning initiative is available on FDU’s global education Web site, www.globaleducation.edu. |
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