Overview

Nearly 250 faculty, administrators, support staff, and service providers from colleges and universities throughout Indiana attended the IPSE Conference at Indiana State University in Terre Haute on November 4 and 5. The extensive theme of the conference, Steering the Bandwagon: Utilizing New Media for Course Development and Support, was clearly illustrated in the more than 30 sessions available to attendees.

Dave King, executive director of IHETS, set the tone for the conference in his welcoming remarks. "We each have reasons why we are here, but the most important outcome of a conference such as this is to bring people together . . . As a consortium, IPSE's job is to pool information and provide a vision for our members."

The conference opened with the keynote address by Dr. Janet Poley, president of ADEC and a widely recognized leader in developing national and international collaborative distance education initiatives. Presenting an overview of what distance education is now and where it is going, Dr. Poley emphasized that education, as we know it, is changing. "Distance education is growing and changing with the advancements of technology and the shifting communities of interest." She discussed the purposes, principles, and demographics of distance education; what is working and not working; and what our goals should be.

The development and delivery of courses and other programs using new media technology was the focus of the first day's sessions. Application of Real-time Streaming Audio and Video to Web-based Courses exemplified the technological advancements in distance education. Presented by Thomas I.M. Ho, chairman and professor of Computer Technology at IUPUI and his son, Brian Ho, a multimedia designer with IUPUI's WebLab, this session examined the development of Dr. Ho's Electronic Commerce course. With Brian presenting at the session and Thomas using real-time video to present from his classroom on the IUPUI campus, participants were able to experience how live broadcast distance education works for learners.

Obstacles to effective distance learning were explored in several sessions. One issue confronting educators is how the Copyright Law applies to materials used in distance education classes. Fritz Dolak, the copyright and electronic resources librarian at Ball State University and the chair of IPSE's Copyright Committee presented a session addressing the distinctions the copyright law makes between performances and displays in distance education transmissions, and reviewed the "Do's and Don'ts" of classroom enhancements.

Karen Bonnell, who manages distance education programming at the University of Southern Indiana, held workshop on Blackboard CourseInfo, a commercial asynchronous course management system. Sandra Nelson, an Indiana State University faculty member, attended this session and the entire conference because she is preparing to put her Business Report Writing course on the World Wide Web. "Distance education is new to me, and the sessions have been very helpful as I plan this course. I appreciate the overview, the scope of information, and the training."

The first day of the conference concluded with a general session presented by Stan Jones, Indiana commissioner for higher education. Jones shared his thoughts on the new Access Indiana State Backbone and how it will effect higher education: "Indiana has been a leader in providing advanced technology and telecommunications, and IHETS was charged with providing this technology to schools, higher education, libraries, and government. The state backbone, which is now operational, connects across geography, agencies, and economics. Rural, suburban, and urban areas can all have access to the same quality of education, programming, and research. Now that more of Indiana's elected officials understand the importance and need for this advanced technology, support continues to grow. I believe we are just hitting our stride in Indiana and will continue to be a key state for technology appropriations."

The second day of the conference, Helping Others Onboard, covered topics such as faculty development, student support, outreach, and evaluation. Ken Foster, director of marketing for Academic Affairs at the University of Utah, led the opening session discussing the role of interactive media in promoting product image in the arena of educational institutions. He talked about the virtues of electronic communication in facilitating improvements in customer service, information dissemination, and competition analysis. Listeners were enthusiastically receptive to Foster's remarks, as reflected by comments from the audience such as, "This was worth the admission fee!"

In a later session, a panel of administrators and staff members of the Indiana Partnership for Statewide Education (IPSE) provided "snapshots" of the Partnership covering the origins and operation of IHETS, the learning centers at Purdue North Central and Indiana University Central Campus, and the Indiana College Network (ICN) hotline. Susan Scott, director of Program Services for IHETS, emphasized the good work done by the network of learning center coordinators, saying, "I have praise for you all."

Afternoon panel discussions covered topics ranging from problems instructors typically encounter in implementing the latest technologies, to problems and success stories shared by registrars and administrators working to accommodate distance learner enrollment. A lively panel of four distance learners ended the day with comments on how the current system operates for them, viewed from a student's perspective. MichelleVon Fange, who works thirty-five hours per week and who has four children, said, "I love it. I wish everyone could get a taste of distance education."

Instructors and administrators alike were generally very positive about the conference proceedings. Tom McCain, an instructional technology specialist at Butler University, attended the conference because he wants to be up-to-date on advancements in technology. "As soon as I heard about this conference, I sent in my registration. As the technology resource for Butler's faculty, I knew there was a lot for me to learn from the experiences and expertise of others in these fields. I've been very impressed by the amount and diversity of information and the quality of the presenters during both days' programs and look forward to incorporating the wealth of new ideas and knowledge in the work I do."