ECE Professor Kent Chamberlin can be found at his office computer several mornings a week teaching his Internet electrical engineering class. The "note pad" on the left allows him to write a message during class that appears on the "white board" on his computer screen and can be seen by his students. The headset and speakers allow everyone in the class to communicate verbally. (UNH Photo: Doug Prince)

UNH Launches First Live Instructor-Led Online Degree Program in New England

by Suki Casanave, CEPS Science Writer

At precisely 9 a.m. every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning, UNH professor Kent Chamberlin sits down at his office computer, straps on his headset and earphones, and begins teaching. All the students in his electrical engineering class do the same: they don their headsets, log onto their computers, and gather in the first live instructor-led Internet classroom in New England. Two of the 10 participants attend class from their homes in Maine. Another tunes in from MIT's Haystack Observatory. One signs on from the New Boston Air Station, another from his Raytheon office.

Chamberlain's course is part of the Far View program, a UNH pilot project that could benefit business in the Granite State, as well as students. "Distance is no longer an issue," says Chamberlin, who recalls a student from Gorham who would drive three hours each way to take his course. Internet courses reach out to the state, so anybody who wants to participate can. This is good news for busy professionals interested in continuing their education, but who may live a couple of hours from UNH's main campus.

"Students these days are not only receptive to this intensive, interactive form of instruction, they are demanding it more and more," says Roy Torbert, dean of the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences. If the pilot is successful, the college plans to allow students to obtain complete professional degrees within the program.

"The new program could also provide a crucial link to business and industry in New Hampshire," Torbert says. Industry leaders throughout the state are interested in continuing graduate education for their employees. A number of companies, including HADCO, Klein Associations, Airmar, and the Pease Development Authority, have already expressed interest in the program.

Chamberlain's course has gotten off to a good start, according to the professor, who uses LearnLinc software developed by ILINC (Interactive Learning International Corporation). Unlike some Internet courses - which might consist of poor-quality videos or a series of information pages and may not involve a "live" teacher - Chamberlin talks back and forth with students throughout the class session.

"They can ask questions that the rest of the class can hear," says Chamberlin, "and I use high-quality graphics to convey information."  Each completed class is archived and available for play-back, in case students want to review information. And several times during the semester, students will meet on campus for tests and recitation.

"Preliminary evidence indicates this online approach may be a more effective way of delivering class materials than the standard classroom lecture approach," says Chamberlin. "For example, I can ask a question and get immediate response from each student about whether they understand the material. In a large classroom, it's not always easy to tell. Students might nod their heads as if they understand a concept, without really having grasped it."

Torbert sees the Far View program as an important link in the Entrepreneurial Campus development underway at the university. "Courses like these begin to build a partnership with business that connects their employees to us, and our faculty to them," says Torbert. "The educational opportunities available through these programs are critical to the economic success of New Hampshire in a high-tech world."

For more information on Chamberlain's Far View pilot project course, check the Web site: http://barker.unh.edu/farview. Or contact Kent Chamberlin at 862-3766.