Grants boost distance-learning at UF College of Education

August 2, 2005

University of Florida education technology instructor Richard Ferdig believes earning an education degree shouldn’t be confined to the College of Education’s classrooms at Norman Hall. Ferdig, an assistant professor, and the college are working to provide more online education courses at the high school, undergraduate and graduate levels.

Ferdig, a faculty member in the college’s School of Teaching and Learning, recently received three technology-related grants totaling more than $106,000 that the college will use to increase its development and use of virtual schooling.

UF’s Center for Instructional Technology and Training awarded Ferdig an $8,750 grant to launch an Introduction to Educational Technology online course this summer. Students will have an opportunity to learn about teaching and learning online in both lecture and lab settings. Ferdig is launching the online lecture component in a trial run this summer with a smaller class, and will make any necessary adjustments before the regular fall class begins.

With a second grant worth more than $76,000 from the North Central Regional Educational Library, Ferdig will evaluate the effectiveness of virtual high school lessons taught online.

“We want to be able to provide educational opportunities to people who might otherwise not have access to these courses, whether it’s a ninth-grader in need of a remedial class, advanced chemistry students in rural areas or home-schooled students. The point is not to replace traditional schooling, but provide a reliable online curriculum for students with those needs,” he said.

UF education technology researchers are partnering in the study with two Wisconsin high schools to gauge whether students learn as effectively online as they do in a live classroom setting.

Ferdig also received a $21,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Education to expand distance-learning opportunities in pre-service (internship) teacher education.

Ferdig is developing programs to prepare teachers in leading classes online using existing virtual high school models.

The College of Education has ambitious plans to expand its evolving virtual school nationwide and to other countries, according to Ferdig.

The college launched its first online master’s degree program for teachers in 2004 in instruction and curriculum, with an emphasis on “teaching, learning and facilitating educational change with technology.” UF education instructors have offered a second online master’s program this summer in teacher leadership and school improvement.

Some education professionals and parents of school-aged children believe virtual schooling is not so virtuous, but Ferdig says online courses offer advantages for certain students both at the high school and university levels.

“These classes meet a need for some students with particular needs, so there’s a definite niche for online education,” Ferdig said. “Whether the student is a full-time employee or a high school student, it’s our job to provide these diverse learning opportunities and research their effectiveness.”