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Show J L All EdTOP. rCC3 htCKCN 344 31.C6 AUCU3 THE D4.11Y HERALD (www.HnrkTlwHeriiid.com) it n www.inet-l.comzioninstitut- 8 The Daily Herald PROVO Working full time and going to school is becoming more manageable with online courses. The University of Phoenix offers its students a new way to get a degree. The program is called Flex Net and provides the benefits of instruction and contact with the teacher with the flexibility of Internet classss rooms. "The online campus was growing so rapidly and getting more and more requests from our students saying, T want to go online, but I don't want to really give up the interpersonal aspect of my education,' " said Darris Howe, vice president and director of the Utah campus for UOP. "So we came up with the concept of providing both." Flex Net requires the student to come to class the first week of k the course. The following four weeks of class are online, e. Mongolian visitors Officials from Mongolia visited Ele- mentary School and Spanish Oaks Elementary School this summer. The Mongolian school director, Enkhbat, and the vice director, Tumrbaatar, made a special trip to Utah to tour the schools. Canyon Elementary students, parents, faculty and staff have been learning the value of service over the past three years by donating many needed items to schools and hospitals in Mongo- six-wee- with discussion through news groups and Students return to the class lia. m mm world. "Our online campus is our largest campus at the University of Phoenix," Howe said. But strictly online courses don't please everyone, Howe said. "Online education is a great alternative for some students, but it doesn't meet everybody's needs," Howe said. "Some individuals don't like it, they definitely want the experience. "Here at the Utah campus, one of the things that we're doing is kind of a blended delivery." Six other campuses are trying out the opportunity. So far, Utah is making the most progress, Howe said. "I don't want to brag, but we've been the most successful," Howe said. "We have the largest in-cla- ss mixed-classroo- m enrollment with Flex Net so far. (Other campus leaders) are asking our opinion and our advice on it. So we're pretty excited about it." The success in Utah has helped to create a campus in Idaho. The first programs on the new campus, which will begin late this month or early next month, are going to be offered in Flex Net. "We're so confident in how (Flex Net) is going to be received that we're using this to roll out a brand new campus," Howe said. Students and teachers are claiming Flex Net is a great way to learn. "The really great thing about Flex Net, you combine the best of both worlds," said Brent Smith, who teaches an MBA marketing class and works in Provo for Clyde Companies. "It allows for maximum flexibility." . All teachers and students must e be employed to take of the education and advantage full-tim- benefits at the University of Phoenix. Smith said he has enjoyed the experience and has seen it work '"'Ml I' The Mongolia project will be extended to Spanish Oaks Elementary School as well. Over the past three years, students from both schools have exchanged letters and artwork. Canyon students have also donated new and used books, quilts, toys, chalkboards and other school supplies. This May, at a schoolwide assembly, Enkhbat and his wife, Sainaa, were presented with more e stubooks from the dents. In July, Enkhbat returned with Tumrbaatar and presented the principals with books and art last week of class for evaluations and presentations. Through Flex Net, the UOP is now able to offer a master's degree in computer information systems online. The complete online program has been operating for about 11 years and offers degree programs for 10,000 students on 28 campuses and throughout the room for the By JENNIFER MINNICH 5 their sister schools of Canyon m Hybrid classes working for Utah students Zion Institute and Schools for Children is currently accepting registrations for its Sept. "Raising and Teaching Children in Truth and Light" quarterly seminar. The seminar will be held at the Harmon Building on the BYU campus. The Zion Institute and Schools for Children teaches and promotes correct priniciples of teaching and learning to parents, teachers and students for the academic acceleration and the development of fine character in our youth. For more information about registering for the seminar, please call (801) or go online to 373-872- t TrD)fnnrfi Parent, teacher seminars 7-- ue i V It 'ffi Canyon and Spanish Oaks u A DAN Old school serves new purpose American Intercultural Student Exchange is seeking host families for exchange students from more than 23 countries. Students will arrive in August to attend local high schools for school year. the 2001-0These students, between 15 and 18 years old, speak English, have their own spending money, have medical insurance and share the desire to participate as an active member of an American high-school-a- By JENNIFER MINNICH The Daily Herald family. ,x her at 344-21)8- wfi nbyntlSaS ' ; i .it;, 0 al write N. Freedom ar UT F !') or ' r iicrutih'xtra rum. " I needs. "You have busy working people who just want to spend time at home with their families," Perry said. "It is really incredible, it's a whole new world," Smith said. Jennifer Minnich can be reached at 344-255- 8 or jminnichheraldextra.com. LOS ANGELES Forty-fiv- e minutes every night, Monday to Thursday. That's the amount of homework that teacher Karen Alvarez requires of her And no one is complaining. "I have such high expectations for these children, and I let the parents know that," she said. Alvarez, who teaches in a working-clas- s neighborhood on the city's east side, said she has never gotten a complaint about giving too much homework. That's rare these days. As schools across the nation work and stanto raise standards dardized test scores they're piling on the homework. High school students report more than three hours a night in some places. One University of Michigan study suggests that young children are seeing up to three times as much homework as children did 20 years ago. Many parents argue that homework cuts into students' sleep and family time. School districts are reacting by imposing guidelines on both homework time and assignments. "We were sending things home with youngsters that required someone with a graduate degree to help," said Kathleen Grove, assistant superintendent for instruction at Arlington, Va., Public Schools. After studying the issue for years, the district last spring set strict rules on homework: This fall, schools will be asked to give assignments that students can complete independently, and virtually no high school student will have more than three hours nightly. Schools also must keep computer labs open late if students need to use them. Several teachers said local and state standardized tests have driven the rush to more homework. "You know those test results are going to be printed in the paper, so you really feel obliged to make sure they've got that skill," said Suzanne Krewson, a s. ' 2 1" LUNDThe Daily Herald New uses: Westside Elementary School building ji Springville. Host families needed t'rM. four-ho- first-grader- schools are participating in the One School, One Country program for the 2002 Winter Olympics. Both schools' Olympic country will be Mongolia. C71 The Daily Herald education Jennifer Minnich at r':i-ti0 J 2f,3 with school news and ld By GREG TOPPO from Mongolia. at www.aise.com. dent interaction," said David Perry. "But there's just as much interaction going online throughout the week as there is block of class." in a The students have time for work and families, and online education fills their educational Associated Press Education Writer first-grad- cross-cultur- expe- rience as well as that flexibility of being able to do everything online," Smith said. The partial classroom and Internet setting was of concern at first to one student, but the flexibility is what proved to be the best situation for him. "I was a little concerned. You do everything online; I was wondering if we would get that stu- bringing home more homework . Prospective ho it families will be interviewed by an AISE program representative and assist in the selection of their student. Host families provide a room and food for students along with an atmosphere in which each student can discover American traditions and experience understanding. To learn more about hosting an exchange student, call or go to the AISE Web site They get that benefit of that Young students ll I for his students. 9 SPRINGVILLE The old Westside Elementary School has been replaced, with a new name and a new purpose for the building left behind. Now called the Nebo School District Learning Center, the building will be filled with a different group of students. An adult special education class and several applied technology classes will be held in the school of seven classrooms. The gymnasium and the library are being remolded and will be used for teacher programs throughout the year. The first in:service at the school will be held Sept. 20. The adult special education class will provide job training for students transitioning into the workforce, said Carl Nielson, the Nebo School District superin tendent. Mountainland Applied Technology Center will hold three courses at the school: a medical assistant course, a certified nursing assistant course, and a building construction course, for which students will spend the majority of the class time at construction sites, said Fred Keetch, director of high school programs at Mountainland Applied Technology. Students will receive released time to attend the classes, which will start on Aug. 22, along with the rest of the district's schools. Mountainland Head Start is also looking into possibly using some of the rooms, Nielson said. Last school year, 426 students filled the small school, which has' only one bathroom and 14 portable classrooms. The students will move into a new Westside Elementary this fall, 'and the portables have moved to the secondary schools throughout the district. This year, 496 students are enrolled in the new elementary on Center Street, which was built to cope with the growth in the south end of the valley. More students than were expected are enrolled in the school, which has a capacity of 750, and the old West-sid- e Elementary may someday be needed again for its original use. "In the future, if growth increases in Springville faster than we can keep up with it, we may need to reclaim that as an elementary school," Nielson said. Several more teachers were recently hired to cover the large group of students for the new school. Coming up with the name and use of the new Learning Center took time and thought. At one point it was put up for sale, but the bids were not high enough to satisfy the district. There was also discussion of keeping the school empty and using the parking lot to park buses. Members of the Nebo School District Board of Education approved the renaming and new purpose of the school in a June meeting. The district is also looking for someone to look over the school, most likely someone who is involved with one of the programs held in the school building, said Brent Hawkins, operations manager for the district. The position will likely be filled before school starts, Hawkins said. District officials said they are pleased with the way things have worked out. "We felt really strong about keeping tnat building occupied and not abandoning it," Hawkins said. "We found some pretty good uses for it." Jennifer Minnich can be reached at orjminnich heraldextra.com. 344-255- 8 See HOMEWORK, A12 |
