from Inquiry, Volume 1, Number 1, Spring 1997, 83-85
© Copyright 1997 Virginia Community College System
MacBrayne, P. S. (1995). Distance Education: The Way of the Future for Rural Community Colleges. In J. Killacky and J. R. Valadez (Eds.), Portrait of the Rural Community College (pp. 55-64). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.
Pamela S. MacBrayne, Dean of Telecommunications and Academic Development for the University of Maine System, offers the article, “Distance Education: The Way of the Future for Rural Community Colleges,” as a summary of the historical development of distance education and an exploration of its influence and impact on rural community colleges. The author cites numerous works which indicate that changing technological, demographic, and societal factors will enable rural community colleges to be forerunners of increased implementation of distance education. In addition, MacBrayne reviews several studies that explore the achievement levels of students of distance education versus those of traditional classroom students. She concludes with specific examples of distance education implementation in several small two-year institutions and a plea for a well-planned approach to similar implementation in rural community colleges.
MacBrayne contends that distance education clearly has a place in today’s society. And more importantly, rural community colleges have an opportunity to implement the wide use of distance education in ways which will be highly beneficial to both the institution and the student body. According to MacBrayne, U. S. educational institutions were developed primarily to meet the needs of a young population preparing for life in an industrial economy. The author’s research confirms that today’s college population is comprised of a much higher percentage of students aged twenty-five or older. This percentage is predicted to grow even larger by the end of the century. In addition to the increasing number of adults seeking higher education, these adults are also demanding a variety of educational opportunities to prepare them for the postindustrial society. While their demand grows for services offered by the community college, these adults are often constrained by lifestyles and geographic isolation that limit their access to the traditional college classroom.
MacBrayne traces the history of distance education back to the first implementation of correspondence education courses occurring over 150 years ago. Like distance education, correspondence education had a goal of providing access for those students who were unable to attend traditional classroom instruction. But unlike distance education, correspondence education resulted in relatively slow two-way communication that created high student frustration.
Technological developments from instructional radio to educational public television and later to audio teleconferencing greatly improved the communication between student and instructor, and thus have increased both parties’ interests in distance learning. Today’s powerful interactive educational technology seems to have nearly dissolved the isolation barriers that once made distance education so unappealing.
After reviewing several studies which evaluate achievement levels and effectiveness of televised instruction as compared to conventional teaching, MacBrayne concludes that students do not suffer educationally from distance learning. Moreover, some studies demonstrated that distance learning may be superior to traditional classroom learning. The author suggests that these results should mollify some of the concerns of educators and administrators who question this technique. As further support of the usefulness of distance education, MacBrayne briefly discusses successful implementation of this methodology in several rural community colleges.
MacBrayne uses a variety of research sources in three general topic areas in preparation of this article. First, in the establishment of the changing student population of community colleges, the author cites well-read studies such as Toffler (1980) and Naisbitt (1984) as well as college enrollment levels published by the National Center of Educational Statistics. Second, in research of the development of distance education, a total of seventeen different studies were referenced, with that of Whittington (1986) being singled out as the most significant and comprehensive in the evaluation of the effectiveness of televised instruction. And lastly, MacBrayne refers to her own primary research of individual community college programs using distance education in the states of North Dakota and Maine to build her case for successful execution of technology in a rural setting.
The author builds a good case for acceptance of distance learning as an important tool for future use by rural community colleges. In fact, as an administrator, one would certainly be concerned if his/her institution did not begin immediate planning for implementation of a wide-spread distance education-based curriculum after reading this article. However, faculty are likely to remain uncertain about the impact of the lack of face-to-face contact with the student. A primary criticism of MacBrayne’s article is that it lacks an examination of the adaptations required of both the student and the instructor in conducting a successful distance learning class. Neither does she explore the particular courses/curricula which may more easily lend themselves to a distance learning structure. While MacBrayne’s research and reference sources tend to offer consistent results, the article could serve as a stronger guideline for readers by including more information on the successful strategies for distance education used by small rural community colleges.
Overall, MacBrayne’s article is well-written and easy to follow, though somewhat lengthy in introduction and deficient in primary research of existing distance education programs. Of particular interest are the summary paragraphs which state the extraordinary level of commitment necessary in order to successfully execute a distance education program in a rural institution of higher learning. This commitment must involve extensive planning, allocation of financial resources, and development of faculty all within the broad guidelines of the institution’s mission which fully accepts distance education as a tool to meet the needs of its customers. MacBrayne clearly establishes that distance education is a way of the future for rural community colleges, but is not a project to be rushed into without thorough and comprehensive consideration.
P. Diane Nipper is Assistant Professor of Accounting and Economics at SsVCC (Keysville Campus). She is faculty sponsor of Phi Theta Kappa and recent recipient of Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers award.
W. Terry Whisnant is Professor of Social Sciences at SsVCC (Alberta Campus), Director of The Virginia Master Teachers Seminar and President of Horizon Seminars. Terry received his doctorate in Instructional Leadership from Virginia Tech and serves on the Executive Board of the VCCA.