 Distance
& Online Education offer courses in many disciplines
throughout the year. Courses are delivered through various
technologies and formats including interactive television,
compressed video, internet, intranet, video streaming
technologies and combinations of these systems. Depending
on the technology utilized, students participate in
the class "live" or asynchronously through materials
archived online. Distance Education satisfies the needs
of a diverse student population as near as the University
of Maine and as far as the most remote international
location. The program offers maximum flexibility, allowing
students to plan courses around their demanding schedules.
Technology brings previously inaccessible courses to
many more students, facilitating degree completion for
some and opening new learning pathways for others.
ATTENTION NEW ONLINE COURSE STUDENTS - Please review
our Getting Started Manual.
VIEW
OUR ADVERTISEMENT to hear faculty &
student experiences with Distance Education (QuickTime
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Interactive Television Courses (ITV)
ITV courses are broadcast real-time by faculty from
the University of Maine campus to over 100 centers and
sites across Maine. Students attending at these sites
view the class on TV monitors and interact with the
instructor and the other students using a toll-free
classroom telephone.
Video Conferencing
Using a computer, or special hardware, television
signals can be compressed and sent through phone and
data lines. Through television monitors students interact
with classmates in real time throughout Maine and all
over the world. Students see, hear, and speak live with
people anywhere in the world, creating a global classroom
environment.
Online Courses
While the ITV and compressed video courses are available at sites and centers
throughout Maine, the online and video streaming courses offer prospective
students significant flexibility. Regardless of the time (or time zone) students
may access courses at their own convenience. Students contemplating enrolling
in an online course should always refer to the course web page to ensure
that they meet all technical requirements.
Video Streaming Courses
University of Maine online courses are not simply *text-based* but deliver
audio and video on-demand viewing. Audio and video files are delivered through "streaming" technologies
which allow for immediate access. There is no waiting for the material to
download, and the files do not use any storage space on student's computer.
Student contemplating enrolling in a course that utilizes video streaming
should always refer to the course web page to ensure that they meet all technical
requirements. |
