News Release
Contact
Suki Deen,
Public Relations Associate
320 DuPont Highway
New Castle, DE
19720
suki.r.deen@wilmu.edu
Wilmington University Celebrates National Distance Learning Week
Friday, November 06, 2009 - New Castle, DE
In honor of National Distance Learning Week (NDLW) Wilmington University Online will be holding a number of events to celebrate distance learning and to educate the general public on the future of learning online. National Distance Learning Week is held from November 9 to the 13 across the country as a way to “help to increase the awareness of distance learning among K-12, Higher Education and Corporations.”
Wilmington University began offering 100% online degrees in the fall of 2007 and has seen tremendous growth. In addition to online degrees the University also offers online courses, hybrid courses (half online and half in-class) and has expanded the use of their online learning platform, Blackboard.
According to a statement by the National Distance Learning Week, “Online Learning is the fastest growing segment of education with 3.5 million adults and 700,000 K-12 students taking a course and or completing their degree completely online.”
“Throughout the week we will be recognizing the faculty that teach online. It is their dedication and compassion to educating our students using online tools that has sky rocketed enrollment” said Sallie Reissman, Director of Distance Learning at Wilmington University. “We are also very eager to hear feedback from our current Distance Learning students and new students who may be interested in learning online.”
During NDLW students are encouraged to log on to Facebook and become a fan of Wilmington University Online. Once there they can enter for a chance to win a $50 Visa gift card or a webcam. All the students need to do is submit a photo of themselves learning online (submit it to the fan photo album at the bottom of the page). The photo can be in a coffee shop, outside, in an interesting part of the country, or at home, the more creative the better. Three winners will be selected. Participants must be Wilmington University Online students to win.
NDLW at Wilmington University will also feature the distance learning faculty teaching online and contributing to an online discussion board where they will each share their experiences and best practices teaching at a distance. Participants will qualify for an assortment of prizes, geared for the technology savvy instructor, at the close of the week.
The National Distance Learning Week will wrap up at Wilmington University with a presentation on Thursday, November 12 to Faculty Senate. The presentation will show the University’s Distance Learning growth and past, present and future plans for Wilmington University Online. All attendees will receive a headset with a microphone to promote Wilmington University Online’s new web conferencing tool, which will be available on Blackboard. The tool will encourage professors to communicate online with their students using audio and video components.
To learn more about Wilmington University Online visit https://www.wilmu.edu/distancelearning/.