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Post-Katrina, e-Learning Product More Valuable than Ever
8/28/2006
From there, it was a matter of waiting for Delgado’s IT infrastructure to be ready to host the Tegrity courses again. When that happened in October, LaCour was back in action. At least 85 students who endured for the Katrina-interrupted semester used Tegrity and were able to successfully complete courses.
For some faculty, the disaster was a push to begin using Tegrity. One faculty member, LaCour says, knew of Tegrity before Katrina, but was hesitant to try it. “Post-Katrina, he has jumped in with both feet,” she says.
For the most part, faculty record and post their own lectures, a process that’s relatively simple using the Tegrity software. “There has been [occasional] administrative and technical upkeep,” LaCour says. “But as a whole, it’s fairly easy. We work through the problems.” Tegrity’s customer support has been helpful with issues involving uploading and labeling courses, for example.
One issue that comes up with e-learning products is the impact on attendance. Delgado addresses that through a Tegrity function that allows instructors to hold students responsible for their attendance at the recorded lectures. The product can record whether a particular student has viewed a lecture, and for how long.
For LaCour, Tegrity is good preparation for future hurricane seasons, but also a great way to serve students who are holding down full-time jobs. Courses that combine face-to-face coursework along with online sections using Tegrity, she says, “allow [workings students] to continue in the program.”
Linda L. Briggs is a freelance writer based in San Diego, Calif.
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