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Student Affairs Daniel Salter Penn State University Editor Stuart
Brown Fall 2001 • Vol. 2, No. 3 |
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Alan M. Schwitzer, Julie R. Ancis, and Nina Brown |
Dana Christman Northwest Missouri State University |
Facts without context
are rarely meaningful.
Lars Perner
Perner’s quotation seems completely on target with regard to Schwitzer, Ancis, and Brown’s book, Promoting Student Learning and Student Development at a Distance. This book does not fall prey to this common pitfall. Chocked full of facts, but set in a context which student affairs practitioners would appreciate, the book contributes greatly to the rather small knowledge base of means by which student affairs personnel can actively contribute and collaborate with faculty in providing distance education services.
Schwitzer, Ancis, and Brown have provided a solid treatise in exploring the topic of distance learning and putting into proper perspective the vital role that student affairs must accept in the education and development of students who elect to pursue their education via distance learning. If we wish to solidify the premise that student affairs professionals play a vital role in student development in higher education, then we must also accept that distance education provides a new, albeit challenging, direction into which student affairs practitioners must become involved. The authors clearly demonstrate how this can be accomplished.
From the first pages, readers will be able to note that the book is well constructed. The preface explains the “plan” of the book, laying out for readers exactly how four questions will be answered. The first two questions lay the groundwork for the rest of the book. The first question asks:
“What is distance learning as it is defined and practiced in the United States” (p. vii)?
The first section of Part I, then, brings readers up to date by providing trends and the history of distance learning, defining distance education in all its forms and delineating how it is practiced and delivered in the U.S. The second question poses:
“Who are distance learners and what are their needs” (p. vii)?
The section answering this question posits that distance learning in the United States is a practice of “pragmatic eclecticism,” (p. 32) that is, combining and borrowing methods and means by which to produce distance education, rather than a practice driven by a singular, theoretical goal. The shortcoming, per the authors, is that it becomes difficult to pursue and measure goals due to the lack of a theoretical base. As well, the section deals with the various roles of the learners and faculty, and how these two groups interact. It is this interactivity in this section that should interest student practitioners most “because by putting knowledge into practice, student affairs professionals have the opportunity to become even more involved in the technological, academic, and community life of their institutions through distance education” (p. 54).The third question posed is:
“What student learning and student development approaches and practices are necessary for effective distance student services and supportive distance communities” (p. vii)
Covered in Part II of the book, the question is answered as we learn about the characteristics and needs of distance learners as well as how student affairs professionals can respond to these needs. The fourth question asked is:
“What student learning and student development approaches and practices are necessary for effective electronic classrooms and academic programs” (p. vii)?
The authors respond to this important question by clearly stating that student affairs professionals are, indeed, distance educators in many senses. They can use the knowledge they already possess in helping to “humanize” the electronic classroom, by acting as communications mediators, advisor-liaisons, administrator representatives, and learning environment managers. As well, they are aptly equipped to serve as evaluators for institutional distance learning efforts.
For student affairs professionals who were wondering if distance education would leave them behind, Schwitzer, Ancis, and Brown’s Promoting Student Learning and Student Development at a Distance will prove that this need not be the case. For student affairs professionals who were wondering how to get involved in distance learning, this book provides a good initial guide. An easy and thorough read with solid references for further reading, student affairs professionals would be advised to keep it in mind and close at hand.
Schwitzer, A. M., Ancis, J. R., & Brown, N. (2001).
Promoting student learning and student development at a distance:
Student affairs concepts and practices for televised instruction and
other forms of distance learning. Lanham, MD: American College
Personnel Association, University Press of America, Inc.
