| As more and more students turn to the Internet to | | | | and working in Mexico. |
| advance their education, instructors at Virginia College | | | | Online MBA class instructor Susan Sasaidek has |
| Online have developed some different ways to help | | | | developed an innovative idea to keep her far-flung |
| students gain knowledge as they pursue their online | | | | classes engaged and involved. |
| degrees. And some of them really put the "distance" | | | | "For the group project in Management 441, I have |
| in distance learning! | | | | created a scenario of a business located here in |
| For example, Dr. Ann Peterson, a faculty member in | | | | Tucson, Arizona," she says. "The mock business is |
| the online business programs, feels that it is | | | | facing some serious competition from a giant |
| important to communicate with students who may | | | | company moving in. The students are asked to |
| be anywhere in the world, and who may be | | | | provide ideas and suggestions on ways to turn things |
| completing assignments at any hour of the day or | | | | around for this small 'mom and pop' shop to make it |
| night. | | | | successful again. It's amazing to see them taking |
| "I use a .PDF file so students can check to see if | | | | what they are learning in a small business class and |
| they are completing their word processing | | | | applying it to this scenario." |
| assignments correctly," she says. "I've also built a | | | | In another of Ms. Sasaidek's classes, students learn |
| grading rubric to tell students how assignments will be | | | | how to put together a business plan. Each week the |
| graded, why points came off, and how they could | | | | plan is built upon. By the end of the quarter the |
| have made a higher score." | | | | students not only have a complete business plan, |
| Dr. Peterson adds, "These are good ways to keep | | | | they have a solid foundation to start the process to |
| the communication open with students I don't usually | | | | entrepreneurship should they choose to do so. |
| get to see face-to-face." | | | | Ms. Sasaidek recently had her dissertation submitted |
| That's the case as well with faculty member Claudine | | | | for publication with Proquest. |
| de Nava, who teaches online classes for Virginia | | | | Faculty members at Virginia College Online all |
| College Online from her home in Mexico. Ms. De Nava | | | | emphasize the importance of one-on-one interaction |
| is a fulltime English instructor there, after completing | | | | with their students-whether they are in the same |
| her master's of education degree in Atlanta. She was | | | | city or halfway around the world. They strive to |
| also a research assistant for NASA and one of her | | | | assure that the online learning experience is as good |
| projects flew on a space shuttle mission in 1996. She | | | | as-or, using today's technology, even better |
| enjoys writing and plans to do a book about living | | | | than-traditional on-ground classes. |