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Session 1649

Distance Learning for Georgia Surveyors

J. Hardwick Butler, Burton M. Courtney Middle Georgia College

Abstract

The Engineering faculty at Middle Georgia College has a well-established program in place to serve practicing and potential surveyors who need course credits to meet the educational requirements for registration as a professional surveyor in Georgia. Using state-wide distance learning facilities and innovative approaches to promoting the classes, facilitating registration, and providing remote instruction, the program is in continuing demand by practicing and potential surveyors throughout Georgia. This presentation will discuss the major aspects of the current program and the potential for applying the same practices to meet the needs of other non-traditional students.

I. Introduction

Over the past few years, educators in all areas of the U.S. have sought innovative ways to integrate rapid technological advances in computers and communications with traditional methods of instruction. Thanks to the foresight, planning, and financial support of Georgia State government officials, the University System administrators and college officials, Middle Georgia College has been provided the resources needed to provide distance learning opportunities to residents all across the State of Georgia. In this presentation, the authors will describe one of Middle Georgia College’s distance learning programs that has been singularly successful in the hope that our experience will stimulate interest and ideas for others in the development of distance learning programs elsewhere. The authors are fully cognizant that similar programs have been under development at other colleges/universities, and look forward to sharing ideas to improve our efforts through feedback from this presentation and other papers presented at this conference.

Middle Georgia College (MGC) is unique among junior colleges. It is the oldest junior college, not just in Georgia, but in the nation. Additionally, MGC has a tradition of a strong pre- engineering program dating back more than forty years. MGC students transferring to Georgia Tech consistently succeed academically as well or better than entering Tech freshmen. This success prompted the University System to implement a Regents’ Engineering Transfer Program (RETP) based on the MGC program that would facilitate the transfer of highly- qualified students from other state institutions to Georgia Tech to complete their engineering degree. Likewise, many students attend MGC for two years before transferring to Southern Polytechnic State University or Georgia Southern University to complete the requirements for a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering Technology. To complement this strength in its engineering curriculum MGC in 1997 began two new initiatives: (1) preliminary approval was granted to establish a new Associate’s degree program in Civil Engineering Technology, and (2) a new Georgia Academy for Math, Engineering, and Science was sited at MGC. The GAMES

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Butler, J. H., & Courtney, B. (1999, June), Distance Learning For Georgia Surveyors Paper presented at 1999 Annual Conference, Charlotte, North Carolina. 10.18260/1-2--7595