Step by Step, UB Creates a Virtual University

by Chris Hart

Only in a marriage or in the workplace is a 10-year anniversary all that significant. Doing something for 10 years is notable, admirable—but not truly special. There is one exception: In the wide, wild world of the Web, delivering any service, taking on any task, over a period of 10 years is simply … phenomenal. It’s not just a decade—it’s a lifetime, maybe two, of experience in technological change and innovation. It’s going from zero to a thousand miles an hour in understanding the universe that a networked computer can deliver.

Delivering higher education in an online environment continues to be a matter of moving forward in increments. Today, UB is one of only two University System of Maryland schools with fully online degree programs—its webMPA, webMBA and webBachelor’s in business are all delivered under the UBOnline umbrella—while many other courses are enhanced by the Web.

These undergraduate and graduate degree programs are available through a dedicated platform that provides students and faculty with complete portability and 24/7 support. A large number of UB’s faculty is completely versed in teaching in this virtual environment; if they’re not leading classes entirely on the Web, then they are posting assignments, grading papers and conducting other learning activities there. Today’s students also are comfortable in this new regime, and many actually prefer it to the traditional paths of learning.

Thinking back to the earliest attempts to deliver education over distances, Paul Walsh, director of instructional technology, facilities and support, considers the amount of time and effort that institutions invested in technology that simply wasn’t up to the task of a “next best thing to being there” experience.

“By the late ’90s, we had the ability to deliver real-time video—but the target site wasn’t a video-enabled classroom. Rather, [it was] the home desktop, where we hadn’t reached a home broadband-connection tipping point,” Walsh says. “Fast forward to today, and broadband access is ubiquitous. This gives us options that we just didn’t have before. If a professor wants to explain how to create a macro in Excel, they can record a video clip of their computer screen with narration and post it within their course.”

Indeed, the technology has evolved to the point where all kinds of discrete learning tasks are simple to set up and operate. According to Walsh, that’s the way online learning continues to evolve: customized solutions that go hand-in-hand with the subject being taught.

“Looking forward, the growth areas are going to be in the blended course area (on-campus courses using online tools), incorporation of video and social networking tools within courses that dovetail with other campus tools, and an equilibrium of real-time course interaction and on-demand delivery,” he says. “Knowing how far we’ve come, I can’t wait to see what the next 10 years bring.”