Getting (Video) to Class on Time
The biggest challenge, according to Mobley, was time. He received the approval to purchase the teleconferencing system in June of 2012, leaving a little over a month to get things up and running. Once the videoconferencing system was installed, there was just a bit of a learning curve.
“The first few weeks were hectic, but once we got everybody used to it, it’s simply there,” says Mobley.
Distance learning accessibility was not given to every pharmacy course at once, but rather will be granted to one class level per a year.
“For the 2012-2013 academic year, we started with the ‘P1’s — our first-year students. That’s about 16 courses across the two semesters. We currently have 30 students at the Crestview site, along with 150 in Tallahassee. Next year, we’ll add the P2 classes, and so on, until by the fourth year of the program, we’ll have full coverage.”
Mobley attributes part of the program’s success to site visits at other distance learning schools. Those visits provided Mobley and his team with a wealth of valuable knowledge.
“The questions our faculty asked about teaching, during our own on-site visits, helped me understand about the technology, and helped the faculty understand about using it,” says Mobley. ” Going to a live site meant we learned from fellow users, not just from the vendors.”
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