By Michelle Hines, University Relations
Contact: (336) 334-5371
Posted 4-30-09
DCL's online political science course makes use of magazines and comic books.
GREENSBORO, N.C. – UNCG's Division of Continual Learning has won the U.S. Distance Learning Association’s (USDLA) bronze award for excellence in online course design.
The 2009 award recognizes Political Science 105: Political Issues, a course that transports students to an online world where they become patrons of a busy city newsstand. They explore magazines, newspapers and comic books devoted to various political ideologies and issues.
The award-winning course is offered through UNCG iSchool – a state-sponsored virtual early college program that gives students in North Carolina high schools a head start on their college education.
“While many colleges and universities simply display textbook information over the Web, UNCG courses immerse students in a world where they grapple with complex issues and experience a subject like never before,” said Dr. Robert Brown, dean of the Division of Continual Learning. “Rather than memorizing rote facts they quickly forget, we ask students to apply what they learn by gathering evidence, weighing options, making decisions and evaluating outcomes. As a result, they develop the skills they need to succeed in life and on the job.”
UNCG iSchool is a concurrent enrollment program whereby high school juniors and seniors take online UNCG courses that are developed and taught by UNCG faculty. In 2008-09, there were 5,814 enrollments, an increase of more than100 percent from 2,648 enrollments the previous year. The program is funded by the N.C. General Assembly and is therefore free to high school students, including their textbooks.
UNCG iSchool offers a range of courses, from Cultural Anthropology and Contemporary Moral Problems to Masterpieces of Cinema and American Government. Students receive the same rigorous, high quality instruction that students take receive on campus, and the online courses include interactive case studies, animations, interactive maps and time lines, simulations, alternate reality environments and educational games.
The USDLA is the world’s premier distance learning association. UNCG’s award was presented by the organization during its annual meeting in St. Louis, Missouri.
For a glimpse of Political Science 105, check out the course “trailer” on YouTube.
