In 1997 the Hospitality Department implemented laptop delivery into all its programs. While the past two years have provided the Department with extensive experience in delivering courses in an electronic format, there has been limited exposure to online learning in its "fullest" sense. Starting this fall, however, this has changed: all first year Hotel and Restaurant Administration and Culinary Arts courses are now delivered via the Internet using the latest version of The Learning Manager. In addition, the Department is currently developing the first year of Culinary Arts for distance education delivery via the Internet. This represents a major investment of resources; however, the Department is anticipating numerous benefits to grow out of this investment.

To date, the major benefit of having courses online is that it provides our students with 24 hour access to course content and materials. Students are able to utilize a variety of course resources and information not just at the College, but also at home after normal program hours. They are able to check their course outlines for upcoming deadlines, work with course-specific resources that would otherwise require them to be physically present at the College, research, complete, and submit assignments, and contact their instructors via e-mail if questions or concerns arise. Students no longer have numerous photocopied handouts which can be easily misfiled or lost; all resources are kept in an electronic format which students can access at any time, and which can be easily updated by the instructor as required. While this may seem like a minor point, these benefits are part of the fifth principle of the "Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education" - good practice emphasizes time on task.

It is anticipated that the creation of distance education-specific resources will also have a significant impact on the Department's regular day programs. Students will be able to access digital video files containing instructor lectures, presentations, or demonstrations, which will assist students to catch up on material they missed if they were unable to attend their regularly scheduled classes. Students will also be able to use these same resources to review concepts which they did not fully understand after attending the specific class. The flexibility of video files means that students can review specific parts of an instructor's presentation as many times as they require until they attain an understanding of the concepts being presented. Instructors will also benefit, as they will not have to devote as much time helping a student catch up on what s/he has missed; because the student has reviewed the content, instructors will only have to focus on the specific concepts that the student is having difficulties understanding. Instructors will also be able to adapt and incorporate these new visual resources into their regular lectures and presentations, thereby providing students with a much richer learning experience than previously possible. These benefits form a part of the seventh principle of the "Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education" - good practice respects diverse talents and ways of learning.

This particular method of delivery will also provide appropriate levels of flexibility and challenge to the increasingly technologically savvy students enrolling at our College.

The thought of using Internet resources to research concepts, discuss course material with classmates in chat rooms and listservs, or use e-mail to submit questions as they arise to course instructors will be second nature to these learners. This new cadre of potential students will not only be able to enhance its learning using the Internet as a major resource, it will expect the Internet to be a significant component in all facets of any program of studies.

In addition to enriching existing day programs, online courses will allow the College to draw from a larger customer base. In order to take our current programs, potential students have to dedicate anywhere from 12 to 21 months exclusively to their studies. As well, they must live in Winnipeg for the duration of these programs. These requirements severely limit our pool of prospective clients. Delivering our courses in an online format will allow people who could not enroll in our existing programs due to other commitments or constraints (i.e., working full time, living too far away from Winnipeg) to be able to study at Red River College. Students will be able to study course material, complete assignments, and meet course deadlines according to individual schedules. With online courses, it does not matter when a student works on course material, as long as s/he completes and submits all required work by the deadline. With the advent of Internet technology, it does not matter where the student lives, as long as s/he is connected to the Internet.

This flexibility will also help to reduce or eliminate the inconveniences and deterrents experienced by people who require or are interested in taking a limited number of courses. These are individuals who do not need to complete all courses in a specific program or who do not want to enroll in an entire certificate or diploma program. Prior Learning Assessments will also increase the demand for greater program flexibility in order to meet the highly individualized needs of students who, with different backgrounds and experiences, require a unique combination of program courses. Such part-time students usually have commitments that do not allow them to come to the College several times each week in order to attend one or two hours of regularly scheduled classes. The flexibility of on-line courses will provide such learners with incentives to enroll in a College program by diminishing scheduling obstacles and inconveniences, and by addressing perceived redundancies and duplication resulting from being required to complete the full complement of program courses, regardless of the individual's knowledge, skills, and/or experience.

The delivery of courses in part or whole using an on-line format also alleviates the pressures to expand infrastructure; as a result, existing classroom space is used more efficiently. Scheduling classroom space just to deliver existing courses can be challenging. The building of additional space is costly and time-consuming. Even delivering a portion of existing courses in an on-line format will help free up classroom space, as students continue to progress in their studies without having to be physically present at the College. Despite the desire to offer more options in existing programs as well as expanding and diversifying College offerings through new programs, the limitations of existing classroom space will hamper such initiatives unless alternative delivery methods are incorporated which lessen the demands on current physical space.

The flexibility of on-line learning not only allows the College to better serve the local population base, but also helps it to enter other markets that were inaccessible before the advent of this technology. The development of quality on-line programs that can be offered at competitive prices will allow students from other regions and/or countries the option to enroll at Red River College rather than with their local colleges. Conversely, if we do not take the initiative to develop these types of course offerings, other colleges who do will be able to attract students in our region to enroll in their program as opposed to Red River College.

One area where on-line courses can make a major impact is that of the apprenticeship programs offered at the College. The way these programs are currently structured, apprentices are expected to attend classes over an eight week period of time for each level of apprenticeship that they are required to complete. In addition to the usual time and distance problems or inconveniences that are associated with traditional day program classes, apprentices also face additional scheduling conflicts; these are people who are already "employed", yet are expected to spend two months of each year in school. Employers know that apprentices must commit to an in-school component, but once these individuals are working on-site, the employer is often reluctant to release the apprentice for a two month block of time, especially if this falls during a business' traditional busy period.

Once apprentices have cleared all of the logistical hurdles and finally arrive at the College, they are faced with the daunting task of absorbing a year's worth of theoretical concepts in two month's time. It is important to note that apprentices have, for whatever reasons, consciously chosen to study their vocation in the field as opposed to "going to school". During this time, their only continued exposure to formal classroom education is through an eight week period of highly condensed theory; the possibility of these learners having a positive in-school experience during their apprenticeship seems remote.

The delivery of apprenticeship training via on-line courses will not only alleviate distance and scheduling problems, it will also allow for learning to happen at a reasonable pace throughout the year, increasing the likelihood that material learned will actually be retained. The probability of these individuals acquiring useful, life-long learning skills also increases; due to the nature of on-line courses, there will be a greater possibility that apprentices will acquire or improve independent study and research skills. For those apprentices who have had negative experiences in the traditional classroom setting, the myths that "learning occurs only in the classroom" and that these experiences are almost always unpleasant will be shattered. Ultimately, in the current knowledge-based economy, it is these independent learning skills that will prove to be of greater benefit to these individuals throughout their careers.

Development of effective on-line courses takes time and costs money. Courses can be created quickly with a minimal financial investment in the development process; however, this process results in courses that are heavy on text, low on interactivity, and include few features that enhance the motivation of the learner. This could be viewed as the equivalent of a normal day program class where the instructor distributes a text at the beginning of the term, informs the students that the course information can be gained by reading this text, and then leaves the students to their own devices until it is time for a test or an exam. There is a possibility that some of the students in this class would complete the course successfully, however, the entire learning process in this class is left to chance. Are the students motivated enough or need the credit desperately enough to finish? Do these students know how to study independently? Will students know when to ask for help (and whom to ask)?

Good courses, regardless of whether they are delivered in the traditional classroom or over a medium like the Internet, require an investment of time and finances for front-end development. A variety of materials, which present concepts in an effective and engaging manner, should be included to enhance the learning process. Interactivity, which constitutes a large part of the traditional classroom, needs to be built into assignments and discussions in on-line courses in order to replicate the sense of community, and to help maintain learner interest and motivation.

The good news is that while significant investments of time and money are required to create on-line courses, once these courses have been created and learning resources have been converted to digital format, course content can be updated and edited quickly. This means that keeping information current is much easier and less costly. Creating on-line courses needs to be viewed as a long term investment rather than quick return of funds.

While increasing the number of on-line courses means that College infrastructure costs decrease, additional funds will need to be invested in the purchase, maintenance, and upgrading of all technology required in the delivery of these courses. Just as adequate space must be set aside for normal classroom delivered courses, students taking on-line courses must have guaranteed access to the web sites which host their course materials. This may sound like a relatively simple requirement; however, there are numerous complications that could impede students' work. Every time the web site which hosts course information is inaccessible to the student for any reason means that the opportunity for productive work is lost. Time on task (and, arguably, motivation) is also lost if students are forced to wait for extended periods of time while information is being transferred from College fileservers to student computers and vice versa. Because of the flexible, self-paced nature of some on-line courses, access is required 24 hours a day, seven days a week, as each student is working on course material whenever his/her personal schedule allows. Computer hardware and software become, by default, the virtual infrastructure in which the College needs to invest to ensure consistent, seamless program delivery.

In addition to fast, reliable hardware and software, on-line programs require competent support personnel who focus on resolving student technical problems as they arise. These human "links" will ensure that technology-related problems are solved in a timely fashion and that these problems do not impede students from completing coursework and meeting deadlines set out by their instructors. Efficient and accessible technical support personnel will help to ensure that students do not get bogged down in technical issues, which will ultimately result in a decrease in student frustration.

The nature of the Internet community has shown itself to support the maxim: "People talk". News of uninspiring course content, poorly trained instructors, limited technical assistance or unreliable web sites spreads quickly and will ultimately sink a program. The ability for learners to take a course or two at one time, rather than enrolling in a program can be considered a "double-edged sword". This is definitely beneficial, as it means individuals who would have otherwise not enrolled at the College actually sign up for classes. However, these same individuals are more likely to walk away from the program if they have a negative experience than someone who has enrolled in a full term of day courses. These individuals have invested less time and money, and have not had the opportunity to develop any extensive feelings of "ownership" for their program of studies. In addition, for the day student, the negative course is just one exception in a (hopefully) overall positive experience. For the on-line student, however, this may be the only course that s/he has taken at the College, and therefore has no frame of reference as to the overall quality of a program's remaining courses. The only experience at the College has been a negative one, and it is much easier to "cut one's losses" and move on in search of a better on-line program at another post-secondary institution.

The other important issue to note is that on-line courses are not a panacea for current post-secondary problems and concerns regarding program delivery. Maintaining a balance between classroom and on-line delivery is important because not everyone learns well nor enjoys learning using this delivery method exclusively. Some students still prefer the "normal" classroom format as the main setting for their studies, as it provides them with a familiar setting, a well-structured environment, direct contact with the instructor, extensive social interaction with one's peers, etc.

It is important to stress, however, that inactivity in terms of incorporating web technology into courses cannot be seen as an acceptable option. On-line delivery does not necessarily have to supplant traditional classroom-based programs, but instead can be used to effectively enhance them. College programs cannot continue to focus solely on the traditional classroom method of delivery and ignore the benefits which can be made possible by incorporating elements of web delivery.

Brodsky, Neal Howard, Learning From Learners, Internet Style, Educom Review, Volume 33, Number 2, March/April 1998

Chickering, Arthur, and Stephen Ehrmann, Implementing the Seven Principles: Technology as Lever, American Association for Higher Education Bulletin, October 1996

Cooke, Linda, Apprenticeship: Enduring, Viable, CVA ACFP, Autumn 1999

Ehrmann, Stephen, Technology in Higher Learning: A Third Revolution (Draft), February 1999

Gross, Rich, New Connections: A Guide to Distance Education, Instructional Telecommunications Council, 1998

Schofield, John, Back to School Online, Macleans Magazine, September 6, 1999