Chris Robbins, Director of ODE, discusses the organization’s unique position among distance education content providers.
ESD: Tell us a little about your program.
CR: ODE—the Office of Distance Education at the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts—has been a distance education content provider for 10 years and although we were founded to serve Arkansas's rural schools, our coursework is now available in all 50 states. Presently, we teach more than 2,600 students in 80 public school districts, charter schools and private schools.
ESD: What courses does ODE offer?
CR: ODE offers a comprehensive K–12 curriculum. From elementary foreign languages to dual or concurrent enrollment courses, we have the ability to offer virtually any class at any grade level.
ESD: Why do schools work with ODE?
CR: Schools use our service when they are unable to place a certified instructor in a classroom. After a diligent search, they may be unable to hire an appropriately credentialed candidate or perhaps they are faced with an unexpected resignation. Other times they are simply looking for a cost-effective way to offer low-enrollment classes or to handle overflow in classes that are too full.
ESD: How is ODE different from other content providers?
CR: Most distance education classes are asynchronous, Web-based courses. ODE’s classes are taught in real-time by real teachers using compressed, interactive video which allows students and instructors to see and hear one another just as they would in a traditional classroom. Local facilitators provide an adult presence in the classroom.
ESD: Can you speak for a minute about the quality of your content?
CR: Fully accredited by NCA, ASMSA is classified as a ‘public elite’ high school by Newsweek Magazine. The school consistently ranks in the top one-half of one percent among all high schools in the nation on the ACT.
At the program level, ODE is college board approved to teach AP© courses in a distance education environment and a recognized leader in the distance learning arena, Dr. John G. Flores, CEO of the United States Distance Learning Association, called ODE, 'A premier organization for the entire distance learning profession [that] has raised the bar of excellence.'
ESD: How does ODE handle certification and content standards in the various states?
CR: All ODE faculty members are fully certified and highly qualified under NCLB guidelines and will be appropriately credentialed in all states in which they teach. All ODE courses will be correlated to the appropriate state standards.
ESD: So what equipment does my school need to receive classes from ODE?
CR: Any H323-compliant video conferencing system should be fully compatible with ours. Most of our classes require only 256K in bandwidth to operate, and we can help with lease agreements that make the equipment affordable for any school.
Technical support is available at no charge in most instances. And our facilitator training program will help ensure most problems are resolved at the local level moments after they occur.
For more information, call 800-345-2767, visit www.ode.asmsa.org or stop by booth 4025.
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