Scratching the Surface: Distance Education in the Community Colleges

Abstract

It is perhaps somewhat ironic that community colleges, whose raison d'etre is to serve and educate local residents, are leading the higher education sector in developing distance education (DE) courses, which have the potential to reach students across the globe. According to a 1995 national survey of higher education institutions, 58 percent of community colleges were offering at least one DE course (U.S. Department of Education, 1997). However, access is also central to the mission of the community college, and for many students, including residents of rural communities (MacBrayne, 1995), individuals with family commitments (Livieratos and Frank, 1992), and working adults with limited time (Hyatt, 1992), DE provides their only opportunity for college participation. For these and other reasons, the availability of DE courses has grown, although not to the extent that related publicity and research on this topic have flourished. This chapter reviews the current status of DE in general and at the community college level in particular, and then describes the DE-related findings from a national community college curriculum survey.

Delicate Engagement

“…The literature regarding distance education at the community college has confirmed its rapid growth. Kozeracki's (1999) research provided a baseline for examining the early development of distance education at community colleges. Kozeracki based her work on several sources, including statistical data from United States Department of Education reports and documentary data collected from community college course listings, catalogs, and enrollment reports.…”

“…Cox maintained that these myths were not supported by empirical data and instead reflected context-specific institutional forces and interests. These two studies (Cox, 2005;Kozeracki, 1999) showed how researchers are attempting to describe and understand the development of this important innovation in the community college curriculum.…”

“…Since Kozeracki's (1999) study, the literature has focused more specifically on various aspects of community college online courses and on the students enrolled in them. Dissertation research has reported on student performance (Bangurah, 2004;Crabtree, 2000), the experience of student learning (Harbeck, 2001;Pedone, 2003;Schilke, 2001), student satisfaction (Aljarrah, 2000;Reed, 2001), and student retention (York, 2003).…”

“…Online courses provide many community college students with new opportunities to participate in postsecondary education (Cox, 2005;Dalziel, 2003;Kozeracki, 1999;Young, 2008). Online courses are especially attractive to many community college students because work and family obligations limit attendance in traditional synchronous, on-campus classes.…”