Open Access and Distance Learning for College level History Courses
This week I searched the web for open access and distance learning courses, programs and degrees in the discipline of History. I have conducted this search many times over the years and am always surprised that my searches yield few opportunities and such meager results. I conducted research last year to try and discover why history degrees were not readily available in on line and distance learning programs. The results of my research were a mix of complex factors related to economics, faculty training, technological infrastructure, and old school ways of thinking in the academe about teaching and learning. The most obvious problem I noted was not a lack of personal interest in studying history, but rather a lack of offering studies in the humanities in general. I consider history to fall under the umbrella of humanities and the study of peoples and the lifeworld. Distance education and distance educators are serving an educational system geared to supporting corporations, the military, the medical or educational fields and profit making entities (Sumner, 2000). The majority of online and degree programs are aimed at preparing learners for careers in those industry and growth fields. There are very few courses and programs, especially advanced degree programs for history and other humanities courses offered in distance, on line or open learning formats; I will discuss an example of each and provide links to those sources.
Open Access and History
I was able to find an open access, entry or survey level U.S. History course at http://www.uccp.org/ . This course is offered through the University of California as an open research for teachers and students. It is considered a college prep type course and only a supplemental learning experience. Although this course is free; there is no way to track enrollment, there are no credits, grades are assessments available. The course seems to be a very general U.S. history courses covering the colonial era and up to Reconstruction period following the Civil War. I think someone would have to have a very specific reason to take the course; a newbie history buff, refreshers courses for GED exams, prep for college entrance, new teachers syllabus example, but otherwise I see very little value and predict there is very little interest in such a broad survey course on U.S. History. The site does not look like it has been updated or revised in quite a long while.
Distance Learning and History
As I mentioned above; it is virtually impossible to earn a history degree in a distance program or on line. There are very limited advanced degree offerings from a few dubious and questionable proprietary on line colleges.
My search this week for history courses revealed that more distance courses were becoming available from traditional universities. The History department at Michigan State University is offering distance courses in all levels (100-400) of history during the summer months. The courses are full credit bearing and offered by regular faculty; the courses are not free, but tuition is reasonable and out of state students do not have to pay out of state fees. The courses count toward degree and graduation credit and most credits are transferable to other degree granting universities. http://history.msu.edu/onlinecourses/
A very nice feature of the on line history studies at MSU is a link to MATRIX http://www2.matrix.msu.edu/.
Matrix is a great resource for history educators and history students; it is one of the premier online humanities centers in the U.S. MATRIX is dedicated the application of new technologies, hosts on line resources and databases for teaching, learning and research. It houses major digital library repositories, partners with museums and is devoted to the application of new technologies for teaching, research, and outreach. As one of the premier humanities computing centers in the United States, MATRIX creates and maintains online resources, provides training in computing and new teaching technologies, and creates forums for the exchange of ideas and expertise in the field.
References
History Department University of Michigan (2012).
Retrieved on Dec. 6, 2012 http://history.msu.edu/onlinecourses/
Matrix (2012) Retrieved on Dec. 5, 2012 from http://www2.matrix.msu.edu/
Open Access (2012). Retrieved on Dec. 5, 2012 http://www.uccp.org/
Sumner, J. (2005). Serving the System: A Critical History of Distance Education. Open
Learning. Vol. 15, No. 3. Retrieved on Dec. 4, 2012 from http://pages.towson.edu/bsadera/istc717/modules05/module8/3888263.pdf
Hi Teri,
I really enjoyed your post it is very informational and offers alot of great ways learners to get knowledge to focus on History. I love history and I feel that this site offers alot of great perks for learners and provided below is some information about the program.
A little information about MIT or Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2012) “MIT is a History Faculty which offers about 70 subjects in the areas of Ancient, North American, European, East Asian, and Middle Eastern history. Students are encouraged to study the past from a variety of perspectives – social, economic, cultural, and political – and to understand the world they inhabit as a product of historical processes. Undergraduates can concentrate, minor, and major in History. In addition, the History Faculty collaborates with the MIT Program in Science, Technology, and Society, and the Anthropology Program, to offer the doctoral program in the History and Social Study of Science and Technology.”
References
http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/history/index.htm
I always love it when people focus on history. I always thought of history to be boring and uninteresting. Knowing that there are websites and resources to make this subject more enjoyable to teach makes me smile. Thank you for the interesting post.
As a history buff myself, I appreciate this Matrix tool. After checking the site I see what is possible. The article I found boasts about “re-humanizing” the Civil War (Zantjer, 2012). This is exactly what my goal is for learning. I would use resources like Matrix to help the learning become real to my adult learners. I imagine creating an assignment where student would individually identify with a story by picking out a soldier’s letter. I could allow the students to choose whether they wanted to take the perspective of the soldier or their loved one at home and finish their story based on what was going on at the time with the Civil War and how it was affecting their personal lives.
Also explain how you think the technology would benefit adult learners.
In encouraging students to take this position they could live the Civil War. It would be an experience that could influence them for years to come. Perhaps this scenario would help them apply it to other areas of learning. Learning is not just about gaining facts it is about identifying with them and making it your own so that a person may grow from it. A perfect practical example about using distance and open learning tools comes from Dodds’ article about countries like Sri Lanka and Asia where there were “inadequate surgeon training facilities” and is showing some success in helping meet the desperate health care needs (2011, p. 174).
Teri,
I wish Walden University would offer History, Language Arts, and the Sciences as degrees for online learning and the multitude of learners interested in persuing their degrees in these areas. I receive quite a number of inquiries for the fields. It is sad to turn eager learners away to search for other ways and places to obtain their degree.
I am gald you found the History program that is being offered by the University of Michigan, that is using the MATRIX technology program. The university is tapping into an audience of learners many online universities are not addressing.
Teri, thank you for your great blog post.
Gayle