South-Western College Publishing/The New York Times Guides

Sample Article

Chapter 1 Communicating Effectively in Today's Business Environment

Applebome, P. (1999, April 4). Distance Learning: Education.com [On-line] The New York Times on the Web. Available: http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/99/04/biztech/articles/04onli.html

"While some institutions want only to supplement on-campus offerings, the goal for many others is true distance learning on a scale unlike anything before, attracting students around the globe who will never set foot in a classroom -- if there is a bricks-and-mortar campus at all. That potential is attracting both traditional institutions and a wave of new ones, hoping to devise an entirely different educational model."

Critical Thinking Questions
1. Why -- or why not-- is distance learning a useful tool for a business communication professional?
2. Why -- or why not-- is distance learning a useful tool for corporate training?
3. How does distance learning compare to traditional classroom learning?
4. Who would distance learning appeal to? Why?
5. Why, or why not, is the rise of distance learning a positive development?
6. How has distance learning evolved with technology?
7. How would you evaluate a distance learning program?
8. Prior to studying in cyberspace, what questions should you ask the school? Yourself?

Short Application Assignments
1. In teams of three to five, or as a class, discuss your responses to the preceding critical thinking questions.

2. Prepare a one-page memo report (200 to 250 words) to your instructor or supervisor in which you respond to the critical thinking questions and offer a final summary of the article.

3. Write an executive summary (200 to 250 words). As an administrative assistant to a busy executive, you are expected to summarize selected articles and present important points.

4. Summarize this article (100 to 125 words) for your company's newsletter.

5. Using references mentioned in this story, investigate a distance learning course that might appeal to you. Based on your investigation, would you take this course? Your instructor or supervisor may ask you to share your results in a five-minute presentation or one-page memo.

Building Research Skills
1 Using references mentioned in this story, compare distance learning offerings at three universities. In addition to your own, include the following criteria: cost, technology requirements, number and breadth of courses, synchrosity, and student to teacher ratio. Write a three- to five-page report that summarizes your findings.

2 Using at least three other references (books, journal articles, newspaper stories, magazine stories or credible Web sites) write an 800 to 1,000 word essay addressing two of the preceding critical thinking questions.

3 Using at least three other references (books, journal articles, newspaper stories, magazine stories or credible Web sites) post a 800 to 1,000 word Web page addressing at least two of the preceding critical thinking questions.

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