Increased ASK ME™ Course Funding Expands Online Math and Science Course Development Efforts at the Distance Education Center

In November 2001, through the support of House Bill 2879 of the 77th Legislature, the Distance Education Center, a unit in Continuing and Extended Education at The University of Texas at Austin, was awarded a $1 million grant to implement an online mathematics initiative to address a critical subject (Algebra I) for which student achievement rates are traditionally low and for which there are teacher shortages. In October 2003, the Distance Education Center was awarded another $1 million to support research and development efforts for additional mathematics curricula (Algebra II and Geometry) and to support online curricular development efforts for two science subjects (Chemistry and Physics). The courses developed through this research and development will be marketed using the ASK ME brand (e.g. ASK ME Geometry).

Drawing on the robustness of an online learning environment, the Initiative's resultant learning tools will accommodate individual learning styles and address different levels of competency, including remediation and enrichment. These tools will also meet State and national standards, and they will offer training and evaluation opportunities for instructors.

The Distance Education Center is developing a variety of online modular educational tools to support this effort. Features of the modules will include the following:

• discovery activities, including the use of graphing calculators;
• real-world applications;
• community building, as appropriate;
• activities, including Web activities, for enrichment and exploration;
• multiple representations of content, or activities that require students to create multiple representations of content;
• examples with self-assessment activities that provide immediate feedback;
• examples of student work (individual and collaborative) so that students will be able to compare and contrast different strategies; and
• assessments allowing for individual interests and creativity, including both proctored testing and portfolio assessment.

The research initiative targets the following outcomes:

• online curricular modules that classroom teachers can use for classroom enhancement, for individual remediation, for make-up work for students who miss class, and so on;
• online modules that teachers at a distance can successfully use with independent learners working asynchronously; and
• online modules that teachers who are not certified to teach the subjects can use to help facilitate or moderate learning for in-class students enrolled in the course at a distance.

About the Distance Education Center

Through the Distance Education Center in Continuing and Extended Education, The University of Texas at Austin has offered courses to high school students who cannot, for whatever reason, attend traditional classes. The courses serve a diverse population of more than 3,500 students of all ages, including migrant students who travel to harvest crops, student athletes and artists, adolescents in treatment facilities, and students who are home schooled. In 1998, the State Board of Education approved the Center's request to offer a University of Texas at Austin High School Diploma. In January 2001, all of the Center's high school courses were transitioned from a paper-based format to a Web-based format in order to provide additional access to Texas students. Written by Texas teachers in accordance with best practices for online learning and in compliance with requirements in the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills, the courses thoroughly provide what Texas students and Texas schools need most. In Fall 2001, the Distance Education Center began offering the Web-based courses in a virtual high school through a pilot project made possible in SB 975 of the 77th Legislature. Through the pilot, The University Charter School (approved in 1998) served more than 100 students in its Online Campus.

For more information contact:
Nancy Pettit, Marketing Manager for the Distance Education Center, 512-471-9260 or e-mail nspettit@mail.utexas.edu.