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Contact: Jennifer Rees, UT TeleCampus, (512) 499-4409 or Letty Fernandez, U.T. Brownsville, (956) 544-8231 Date: May 11, 2001 |
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UT System News Release |
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Ed Tech Program Produces First Virtual Graduate
Julianne Phillips has never been to the University of Texas at Brownville, never strolled the paseo past Gorgas Hall, and certainly never heard the old campus clock chime the hours. Yet, this weekend, she'll take home a newly minted diploma granting her a Master of Education in Educational Technology making her The University of Texas System's first virtual graduate.
For the past year and a half this Poughkeepsie, N.Y., IBM executive and mother of a young child has pursued her master's degree studies online from U.T. Brownsville via the UT TeleCampus, the System's support center for online learning.
Phillips' university experience doesn't involve lecture halls or classroom desks. She studies in the evening via the Internet and uses email, WebBoard or chat discussions and web-casts to communicate and interact with professors and fellow students. Phillips chooses when to study, juggling that work with her career and her parenting responsibilities.
Surveys show that students select to learn online predominantly for two reasons: they need the flexibility to choose when to study, or they need the portability to choose where. Phillips travels with work and needs both. Although TeleCampus-based students range in age from 17 to 63, most are working professionals, many with young families, like Phillips.
"It has been perfect," Phillips says, a former junior college computer science and English teacher who now coordinates education for a server logistics division of IBM. "It has everything I had hoped for and then some. Not only was I was able to study at my own pace, but if I got into a jam I could call or email someone for assistance."
The educational technology program Phillips participated in is one of several facilitated by the UT TeleCampus in partnership with the nine academic campuses in the U.T. System. The central TeleCampus website provides links to admissions offices, financial aid, and advisement, as well as support services such as tutorial assistance, digital libraries, and other learning resources.
The online degrees are generally collaborative in nature, allowing students access to a greater array of University of Texas faculty than traditional onsite learning can provide. In her master's program, Phillips will receive her degree from U.T. Brownsville, although she also took classes from U.T. Austin, U.T. El Paso, and other campuses participating in the program.
"The fact that Phillips completed her degree without ever stepping foot on campus makes her situation unique," says Dr. Michael Sullivan, director of the master's program.
Sullivan says online degrees are tailor-made for students with young children at home; busy professionals who want the degree but have to schedule around work activities; and students who find it difficult to attend a traditional university for reasons ranging from physical disabilities to remote locations.
The online degree programs use the same admissions criteria, the same faculty and essentially the same curriculum as the onsite counterpart, but technology is maximized to allow for Internet-based interaction. Sullivan adds that quality online programs put a premium on interactivity. Students meet professors and fellow students in chat rooms or threaded discussion areas. They work on group projects, email is in heavy use, and interaction is woven throughout the courses.
"The big question mark about online courses in the beginning has turned out to be a big asset," says Sullivan. "When these courses are delivered well, they have that back and forth much more so than in a traditional class. In this case, where the other classmates have more varied experiences and backgrounds, it only enriches the experience for all of the students."
TeleCampus-based students are predominantly from Texas, although 26 states and eight international locations are represented. At U.T. Brownsville, online learners come from as near as Edinburg and as far as Germany.
Dr. Darcy Hardy, UT TeleCampus director and assistant vice chancellor, said the UT TeleCampus was begun three years ago this month with a "vision to provide greater access to high quality education statewide."
"When we launched the educational technology program in 1999, we saw students who would not otherwise be able to attend registering for the online option," she said. "Today, three years from our inauguration, we're seeing Julianne Phillips graduate. We all wish her tremendous success in her future and we hope she'll stay in touch online."
This weekend Phillips is abandoning her computer and the Internet, hopping a plane, and walking across the stage at commencement at U.T. Brownsville.
For more information about online offerings from U.T. campuses, browse the UT TeleCampus website at http://www.telecampus.utsystem.edu or call toll-free at 1-888-TEXAS-16. |
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Background Materials |
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UT TeleCampus at
a Glance Established: May 18, 1998 as a central support unit for online and distance education within The University of Texas System and its 15 component campuses. The UT TeleCampus partners with the U.T. campus offering the course or degree.
Purpose: Increased access to education for Texas, the nation and the world. Increased support services to online learners.
Online Degrees and Programs: MBA Online (award-winning program) Master of Education in Educational Technology (award-winning course) Master's in Kinesiology Master's in Curriculum and Instruction with Reading Specialization Master's in Electrical Engineering Master's in Computer Science Master's in Computer Science and Engineering Wide variety of graduate and undergraduate nursing courses General undergraduate curriculum - First Year Online program English as a Second Language Endorsement Certificate Program Coming Fall 2001 - Chess and Education Online Certification Program Coming Spring 2002 - Bachelor's completion program in Criminal Justice
Awards/Honors: 2001:
2000:
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The University of Texas System Office of Public
Affairs || 210 West 6th Street, Suite 2.100
Austin, Texas 78701 || p: (512) 499-4363 || f: (512) 499-4358 || email: adebruyn@utsystem.edu |
