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Fresno State extends distance learning

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Fresno State will offer upper division coursework via interactive video to students at Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria starting this fall under a new academic partnership between the two schools.

The "distance learning" agreement means students at Hancock, a two-year community college, will be able to work toward a bachelor's degree in liberal studies without leaving home. Three classes will be offered in the fall.

The partnership extends Fresno State's reach outside the San Joaquin Valley, where it already is offering live, interactive video courses at a number of locations. Fresno State is one of the leaders in the California State University system in distance learning, reaching 1,500 students through off-campus centers and interactive video courses.

"We are pleased to partner with Allan Hancock College to serve students in the Santa Maria area," said James Forden, acting director of Fresno State's Academic Innovation Center.

Dr. Ann Foxworthy, Hancock superintendent/president, called the agreement "a monumental step" for local residents.

"Until now, a student's options for completing a bachelor's degree or teaching credential without leaving home have been limited to commuting out of town or paying a hefty price to attend one of the private university satellite campuses." Such options are sometimes not practical, Foxworthy said.

Fresno State plans to offer coursework in business and criminology to Hancock students in the future.

Two-way interactive video allows a professor and students to communicate with each other during instruction. Interactive video was first used by Fresno State in the early 1980s as a means for conducting meetings with colleagues at other campuses of the California State University.

Back to University Journal, 8/27/01 Issue