Just a little over 15 years ago at UWG, there were no online courses and distance learning delivery was limited to point-to-point videoconferencing (GSAMS). Today, on average each term, one in two students at UWG takes at least one online course, around 60% of credit hours earned during Summer are via distance learning, and almost 1300 students attend UWG solely online.
These numbers don’t count the courses and enrollment within hybrid or technology-enhanced courses that we also support.
In the beginning, Melanie Clay was a department of one, until I joined as her first staff member in 1996. Our shared office was in a hallway in the basement of Sanford Hall. Literally. A hallway. Today our staff has grown from two to twelve and we have three offices across campus. (And these numbers don’t even take into consideration the Extended Learning family now under Dr. Melanie Clay’s leadership: Continuing Education, Newnan Center, Douglasville instructional site, USG eCore Administrative Services and USG eMajor Student Services.)
In Summer 1997, Melanie recruited her husband, Matthew Clay, to teach the first partially-online course through a free system called Nicenet. Others followed in Fall 1997 and the very first fully online course was taught in Spring 1998 by Dr. Jerry Perkins. Today UWG offers around 450 online course sections a term and 660 different instructors utilize CourseDen to either teach online or enhance their face-to-face course.
We’ve gone from zero online degree programs to nineteen distinct online offerings, including three online doctorates, and multiple online Masters, Specialists, and Certificate programs. We have one fully online Bachelor degree and another one in the works for 2014. We’re the leading eCore affiliate and assumed the administrative services role for the entire USG program in 2009.
Over the years, we’ve worked with many amazing faculty and colleagues; we’ve provided comprehensive training to student helpdesk assistants who’ve gone on to successful technology-related careers in both the private and public sector; we’ve established a world-renowned Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, as well as a popular conference and online certificates on the same topic. We’ve also said good-bye to our hero and friend, Dr. Don Wagner.
Looking back, it’s been a fast and wondrous ride. And we’re not done yet.
Janet Gubbins is the director of Distance and Distributed Education.
