CALGARY (Staff) – With a command of “Go country” rural computers will start talking to each other this winter.
Olds College will open the Country Forum this winter to anyone with a computer and a modem so they can share information about agricultural issues.
Besides the forum, the distance education program at Olds College is putting rural people on the entry ramp of the information highway, helping them tap into courses, public forums and marketing information.
The college delivers home-study courses to anyone with a modem, a connection to the Compuserve network and an IBM or Macintosh compatible computer.
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An open house at the college on Nov. 1 demonstrated the link by running a computerized soil science tutorial, said Mike Spear, responsible for distance education projects at the college.
Better feedback to students
While the concept is similar to old-fashioned correspondence courses, material is distributed faster and feedback to students is better.
For the neophyte computer owner, the college offers instructional videos, booklets or help over the phone to connect to computer networks.
Not only is distance education helpful to students, but it saves colleges and universities money. No new buildings are needed since people study at home and students outside the usual service area of a school can join programs. Also, courses that were cut because of tightened budgets can continue. Printing costs for textbooks and readings are lower because the material appears on a computer screen.
School years can be spread out because students can take lessons any time.
Such a system can also educate people when a college or university can’t accept any more students on campus or when courses are oversubscribed.
“The equine program here at the college turns people away. So we’re looking at an equine distance-delivered course,” said Spear.
