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CCC expands class offerings<br>through high-tech TV system

Thumbing through next semester’s variety of offerings for Coconino Community College, students at the Grand Canyon campus will find a larger-than-ever selection of classes. Not only can classes be taken through the Internet, but local students can also learn through the college’s new instructional television system.

Christy Guthmiller, left, and Maryalice Minnick prepare for class through CCC’s instructional television system.

"It offers endless opportunities for students in this remote location," said Sally Wahler, CCC site coordinator at Grand Canyon. "With a wider variety, people will actually be able to take classes toward getting a degree."

The instructional television system, or ITV for short, connects CCC’s Flagstaff campuses with Page, Williams and Grand Canyon. Students interact with the instructor over a two-way video system.

CCC instructor Michael Casey leads an accounting class, which includes two Grand Canyon students.

"I have a control panel in the classroom," Casey said, responding to questions through the ITV system. "In the distance learning center, if someone asks a question, you can zoom in on those students."

Casey and the students must communicate through a 10-second delay. While Casey is teaching, he has a camera that switches every 20 seconds to a view of a different classroom.

Instead of the old-fashioned method of chalkboards, the state-of-the-art ITV system features a "cam-pad." As the name suggests, this is a writing pad that appears on camera for students to follow while the instructor is teaching. In traditional classroom terms, it could be compared to what one would see on an overhead projector.

"Most of my instruction is done from the cam-pad," Casey said. "I can also write on one of two whiteboards, but there is a glare problem there."

The ITV system debuted at CCC’s Grand Canyon campus at the beginning of the current fall semester. Wahler said there are three students participating, the two in accounting and a high-school student in English 101. The accounting class meets on Mondays and Wednesdays.

But CCC officials are looking ahead to the future, when basically any class can be taken at any campus. Offerings have already increased through the distance learning classes. Besides accounting and English, others available include health sciences, justice, economics, history, leadership, math, sociology and paralegal studies courses.

Wahler welcomes prospective students to approach her with suggestions or requests for other classes.

Web courses are available to anyone with online access.

For more information, Wahler can be reached at 638-2087.


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