In this article, we describe the evolution of a statewide alternative teacher preparation program for teachers of students with disabilities and explain current processes to revise and expand the program to increase accessibility to teacher candidates in rural schools. We will identify important features of the program including (a) significant…

This article describes a statewide online alternative teacher preparation program in early childhood special education. The history and evolution of the program is explained along with the programmatic changes that resulted from working with noncertified teachers with a wide variety of backgrounds in both rural and urban districts. Challenges and…

What works to help rural students succeed in higher education? In fall 2020, MDRC partnered with Rural Matters and Ascendium Education Group to produce a four-part podcast series called "Rural Higher Education: Challenges & Opportunities." The series gathered experts from across the country to examine the realities of rural life and…

At the Western Institute of Technical and Further Education (WITAFE) in New South Wales (NSW), vocational education and training (VET) courses are being delivered to students in isolated homesteads and remote Aboriginal communities by Interactive Distance eLearning (IDL). IDL provides satellite-supported two-way broadband voice, one-way video and…

Explains how interactive television is expanding course offerings in two remote, sparsely populated Northern Michigan school districts (Cheboygan and Mackinaw City), how interactive television works, and how the programs were made operational in less than two years. Offers reflections about the program and plans for expansion. (NEC)

A student in a distance education course, as part of a midterm project, set out to build a Web site that had written communication as its main focus. The Web site, "The Global Campfire," was modeled on the old Appalachian tradition of the "Story Tree," where a storyteller begins a story and allows group members to add to it.…

This project proposal describes a pilot project, "Regional Course Sharing Through Technology," at Chadron State College, Nebraska, which utilizes telecommunications to enable small, rural schools to share teaching staff among several schools. Away from the highly populated urban areas of Nebraska, most school districts are widely…

Approximately 85 educators from six states participated in a regional conference designed to showcase exemplary and collaborative programs to overcome many of the barriers faced by rural adults in pursuing higher education. After the keynote address, "The Role of Adult Learning in Revitalizing Rural Communities," by Cornelia Butler Flora, the…

Considers ways in which telecommunications can ameliorate the staffing crises of small colleges. Describes West Virginia Northern Community College's efforts to serve remote instructional sites using an interactive telecommunications system. Reviews the college's problem, the design and installation of equipment, and selection and training of…

This report describes educational applications of slow-scan television (SSTV) teleconferencing, which uses a video signal generated from a standard, low-cost, industrial television camera and compressed to a bandwidth suitable for transmission over telephone lines. Following a brief explanation of the capabilities of SSTV and the required…

Distance learning can be a useful approach for preparing teachers who are mid-career changers or who are working on limited licenses, especially in rural areas. At Indiana University, the Collaborative Teacher Education Program uses multiple distance education technologies to provide special education teacher preparation in mild (high-incidence)…

This book provides information supplemental to the accompanying videotape regarding the implementation and use of two-way, full-motion interactive television. Based on a study conducted by the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory, "Local Heroes" describes in detail how citizens have implemented the technology in small rural…

The Distance Learning Program was implemented in 1984 by Ikipujung Pandang University to provide training opportunities for nondegree secondary school teachers in isolated rural areas of eastern Indonesia whereby they did not have to attend classes on a regular, full-time basis at a conventional educational institution. The program focuses on…

An overview is provided of the University of Alaska's Rural Education Division, which was created in 1975 in the wake of the discovery of oil on the North Slope, the passage of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, and the recognition of the need for more access to higher education by native and other rural residents. Introductory material…

Describes a program which addresses the needs of underserved handicapped children who live in isolated rural areas of Nevada. Covers the program's computer-assisted, home-based curricula and video-assisted, home-based assessment and instruction as well as evaluation methodology and results of preliminary child-progress data. (JHZ)