On-line courses offered at
WSU
By Paula Rivera
The South End September 18, 1997
For some Wayne State University students, the convenience of taking classes in the comfort of their own homes is not a dream, but a reality.
Wayne State University College of Lifelong Learning’s Professor David Bowen is offering two on-line Internet courses, the first to be offered through WSU, that require attending only two classroom meetings.
Students must have a junior standing, a minimum 3.0 GPA and access to an e-mail account and the World Wide Web to register for the courses, he said.
The courses include AGS-336, a reading class worth four credits, and AGS-334, a directed-study course also worth four credits. The directed-study course focuses on “futures studies,” according to Bowen, and examines possible future changes in people and in society. In addition, the course tries to get people to think about the future in a systematic way, he said.
The course itself is not new, Bowen said, as it has been taught at WSU before in a traditional format. However, this is the first time the University has offered this course on-line.
To start the program, Bowen said he had to obtain approval from the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies, and according to Roslyn Schindler, director of the Interdisciplinary Studies Program and associate dean for degree programs for the CLL, it was Bowen who brought up the idea of an on-line course after discussing it with faculty.
Approval was given for the experiment because it relates to providing an accessible college education to non-traditional students, something the CLL was created for, she said.
“Such an experiment is part of our course delivery,” Schindler said.
Bowen is expecting both on-line courses to be successful, he said, because usually, if students sign up for one of the courses, they’ll sign up for both.
As of now, there are 16 students enrolled in both classes combined, according to Bowen.
Once enrolled in the courses, students are expected to contribute weekly assignments from four textbooks, and write assignments ranging from 20 to 24 pages. There are also four exams, two of which are completed in person. The other two are completed electronically.
Grading for the courses is based on participation in classroom sessions and on-line conferencing, completed assigned readings, two on-line quizzes, essays, a midterm and a final exam, according to Bowen. The course website is provided for students to keep track of assignments and other classroom concerns, as well as display the latest version of all course materials.
In addition, each participant will have access to a computer conference and chat site for discussions and group work, and the site will contain information designed to allow each student to create a personal Web page. Assignments for classes can be mailed, sent by FAX or forwarded via e-mail, Bowen said.
The website is also accessible to the public, except for certain conference rooms, he said.
According to Schindler, students should take advantage of the technological programs being offered at WSU.
“We’re very excited about the course,” she said, “because it’s part of a growing trend educationally.”
For more information about WSU’s on-line courses, contact the classroom website at http://www.cll.wayne.edu/isp/drbowen/thf97.