Town & Gown:
Distance Education is the Answer
for Many JSU Students
Reprinted here in its entirety.

When Gina Glass answers the phone in 212A of Self Hall with a buoyant “Good afternoon, Office of Distance Education, this is Gina, can I help you?” chances are she can help.

Not only is she the secretary to the associate vice president for distance education, with over eight years experience at the JSU, but she is also a distance education student.

Glass, who lives in Pleasant Valley with her husband and three children, began course work for her undergraduate degree last fall.

Her experience as a student gives her additional insight into students’ needs when they call for assistance.

Glass has earned As in her coursework so far and her excitement over her academic success is contagious.

“I have students call and ask about online classes,” Glass said. “I tell them my success story — how I am able to maintain a full-time job and family yet still work on a degree.”

Using the word distance can create the false impression that students are far away.

While distance education courses still follow the university’s calendar, they offer students flexibility on where they are when they attend class.

JSU Distance Education classes have students as close as Jacksonville and as far away as the other side of the world.

Abby Knight has worked as the research assistant in the Office of Distance Education since October of 2006 and has been working on her master’s of public administration since 2005.

“When I first started, my husband’s job required him to travel,” Knight said. “I couldn’t enroll in a class and be sure he would be home so I could go! Online courses meant I could be home with my children at night, but still go to school.”

One of Knight’s responsibilities in the Office of Distance Education is marketing distance education programs. She believes her experience as a student gives her additional insight in the mind of distance education students.

“When we start talking about our customers, what they need, who they are — it’s me — sitting in front of my home computer with my three-year-old in my lap.”

Distance education students are typically female, over the age of 25, with a full-time job. However, as new courses and programs become available through distance education, the demographics of distance education students will most likely shift as online offerings expand.

Being a student can also make you a better teacher.

Misty Cobb has been working in the Office of Distance Education since January 2007 as the instruction design specialist.

Her job is to assist faculty with course construction and design.

Cobb, who resides in Heflin with her husband, will be graduating from JSU in August with a master’s of business administration.

While many of her courses were held in traditional classrooms, she also took advantage of online courses.

“I was able to continue participating in family, church, and social activities that are often scheduled at the same time as traditional on-campus courses,” Cobb said.

She also feels that her experience as a student has enhanced what she brings to her position.

“Because I understand the challenges faced by distance education students I feel that I am better able to help faculty identify teaching strategies to reach the distance education student,” Cobb said.

Jacksonville State University offers distance education courses and programs online as well as through interactive videoconferencing and on video.

Beginning this fall, JSU will offer 11 programs that can be completed online.

Visit myJSUonline.com for complete information.

Additional information on individual courses that may be taken online, as well as videoconferencing and video-based courses, can be obtained by calling Gina Glass at 782-8172.

See story at The Jacksonville News's website: www.jaxnews.com .

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