Branch campus students are often not taught by real-life instructors. Instead, they watch taped lectures broadcast from UNM's main campus.
UNM Los Alamos enrollment services coordinator Marlene Kelley said the primary complaint among branch students is the time it takes instructors to respond to them. She said due to the flaws of long-distance learning, papers, tests and assignments take extra time to be graded and handed back to students.
She said when distance education is involved, it is harder for students and their professors to get to know one another, but Los Alamos students appreciate efforts by UNM instructors to visit them.
Instructional television was established at UNM in 1985 through a seed grant from Sandia National Laboratories. The classes are offered through UNM's Extended University.
According to its Web site, the mission is to create enriching education experiences for students throughout the state, accomplished through face-to-face instruction and televised programming.
UNM student Justin Gillespie said the television screens and microphones in his classroom sometimes distract him, but his professor integrates the situation well. He said the monitors are usually blank unless something is being shown to the class.
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Junior John Williamson said he feels the same.
"Only students who are really uptight would view it as a distraction," he said.
Williamson added that his experiences with cameras in the classroom have always been positive.
Through EU, Media Technologies Services operates an eight-channel instructional television system located at the top of Sandia Peak.
Today, nearly 60 courses are broadcast to UNM branch campuses and learning centers throughout the state. The centers are typically located in high schools and libraries with several on main campus.
UNM is part of the Electronic Distance Education Network, which includes NMSU, New Mexico Highlands and San Juan College.
Distance Education Coordinator Shane Urioste said EDEN and ITV are basically the same thing, but ITV offers engineering courses.
In ITV classes, distance students can interact with professors by phone. The professors arrange tests and assignments while staff members are present at the centers.
Courses offered online also broaden the choices for students with physical location limitations. They are offered in many disciplines, including education, nursing and public administration.
Some Los Alamos students expressed concern over lack of attention from distant instructors.
"They are very dedicated, and want to be thought of as UNM students, too," Kelley said.
Urioste said he is pleased with the lack of technical problems and said the system is more solid and reliable than the Internet.
Anderson Schools of Management Associate Dean Ken Baker said while most students undoubtedly prefer face-to-face learning, the amount of travel time saved by a rural student outweighs the costs of ITV courses.
ITV primarily offers upper-division courses, many of which meet Bachelor of University Studies requirements through the College of Arts & Sciences. These courses include English, psychology, chemistry, economics and mathematics.
EU works through education centers at UNM branch campuses in Santa Fe and at Kirtland Air Force Base. The centers serve as instructional focal points and student support services.
