Antonio Hernandez
At a Pierce College Academic Senate meeting, it was announced that Pierce is hiring for a new faculty position. That position is the Distance Education Coordinator, who would help manage the planned increase of online classes offered at Pierce. Finalists have already been picked from a pool of Los Angeles Community College District employees.”We’re trying to expand our distance education courses for the spring semester, and we need a specialist to help with this increase,” said Mitra Hoshiar, Pierce sociology professor and member of the senate’s Educational Technology Committee. The coordinator would assist faculty in the planning and implementation of online course material. They would also help with familiarizing faculty with technology concerning distance education.With Pierce’s planned growth in online courses, the position is needed. Pierce hopes to expand online courses for the spring, whereas last spring they trailed behind some colleges.For the rest of the story visit us online: www.therounduponline.netIn the Spring 2007 semester, Pierce offered 31 online courses, 14 of which were mathematics courses. However, Los Angeles Valley College offered 47 online courses.”It will certainly make the online course process more efficient, because this person will coordinate the whole distance education program,” said Hoshiar.Encompassed within the Distance Education Program is the online student resource, “Moodle.” Logging onto the Web site, moodle.piercecollege.edu, students can access documents, presentations, diagrams and class information posted by their instructor.”In general, I think we need to exceed the demand for online courses and resources,” said Hoshiar.Pierce will add four classes for the Spring 2008 semester, bringing the total to 35 available classes. It has been long known that online classes are an option for many students who have a hectic schedule or may be parents. Students also take the opportunity to take their lower end classes using the system.”I only took one online class for one of my lower end math classes. It was faster and I just wanted to get it over with,” said Michael Baca, a first-year student at Pierce.”I don’t plan on taking any more online classes, but from what I saw, they [Pierce] had a good collection,” he said.Pierce is offering six online classes in four subjects for the 2008 Winter semester: Mathematics 115, Mathematics 125, Philosophy 1 and Sociology 1.