For Immediate Release 22 March 2001

Change in Mission of Northern State University
Statewide Center for E-Learning Approved

BROOKINGS—Northern State University (NSU) has a new role that could transform it into a national—or even international—model for applying technology to future teaching and learning in higher education and in elementary and secondary schools. The South Dakota Board of Regents today at its regular business meeting on the campus of South Dakota State University approved a change in mission for the Aberdeen school, which was founded in 1901 as a teacher training institution.

"Northern has always been a leader in producing teachers for South Dakota K-12 schools," said Regents President Harvey C. Jewett, Aberdeen. "This mission change will acknowledge the new e-learning center as one more first for the university as it maintains its leadership role. Technology is changing the way we relate to each other. We already have e-commerce. We are exploring e-government. It only makes sense to use technology to bring some relief to the teacher shortage situation our small rural districts are facing. The e-learning center will do that."

NSU President John Hilpert added that the center will have an impact on the entire university. "Every student will graduate from Northern with a working knowledge of technology. As the center develops, the whole curriculum will be transformed. Faculty in all departments will integrate technology into their instruction. NSU graduates should be well-prepared to compete in the workplace."

The concept for the e-learning center grew from the realization that technology could be used to address the teacher shortage that already exists in many parts of rural South Dakota, said Regents Executive Director Robert T. Tad Perry. "Small school districts have the most difficulty finding qualified instructors in math, science, English and music. Some kids come to college ill-prepared to do college-level work and the reason may be beyond their control. Some of them may not have been given the opportunity to take the upper level courses, which are the meat of college preparation. Or they were taught by teachers who are teaching out-of-field. That means that a teacher certified to teach in one subject is assigned to teach in another subject in which he or she does not hold a teaching certificate. That is not a satisfactory situation for the students or the teacher."

The new center will be staffed by seven master teachers with K-12 certification in specific subjects and one elementary/secondary NSU faculty member. They will be assisted by NSU faculty and graduate students. Courses will be delivered to participating school districts over the Dakota Digital Network (DDN) and the Internet. The master teachers will design courses, deliver lessons, manage the e-learning environment and mentor graduate students. Graduate students will assist in the design and delivery of courses. They will occasionally travel to the receiving school districts to assist with activities and interact with the K-12 students.

At the collaborating K-12 schools, classroom teachers and teacher’s aides may be trained as e-mentors. Student teachers from NSU placed in the collaborating schools will also serve as e-mentors. "E-mentors will be teachers, student teachers, or aides who will manage the classroom and facilitate the interactive lessons for the students who are receiving instruction over the DDN from the master teachers and graduate students," said Perry. "NSU faculty and K-12 classroom teachers will work together to design the courses and activities."

Since most student teachers are placed in or near South Dakota’s larger school districts for their practical teaching experience, few students have gone to small, rural, or isolated districts far from their home university campuses. "One of the problems in placing student teachers in these districts has been expense. Housing and transportation costs have been prohibitive. The e-learning center will provide a stipend of $1000 to help defray those costs for up to 20 student teachers per semester. This money will enable student teachers to get experience in small schools and will place an e-mentor in the classroom to assist and supervise students taking courses from NSU over the DDN," said Perry. "The Regents think this arrangement will work well because it addresses several issues facing us as a state."

Hilpert, whose staff designed the e-learning center, said, "In the early decades of the 20^th Century, NSU was recognized nationally as a leader in training teachers for rural settings. Its methods were the most innovative for the times and were copied around the country. That we are launching a new concept in rural teaching and learning on the one-hundredth anniversary of the founding of the institution is appropriate. We see the center as a move to further our heritage of innovation."

The center will be funded in its first year by state revenues, approved by the Legislature in a special bill this session. A one-time grant from the Aberdeen-based Great Plains Foundation has been offered to assist in the purchase of technology. NSU will redirect revenues from current university funds. This project builds on investments in instructional technology equipment, software and wiring that NSU has made over the past three years. The total budget for FY02 is projected to be $2,293,244.

For more information, contact Dr. Robert T. Tad Perry, Executive Director, or Dr. Paul Gough, Director of Policy and Planning, (605) 773-3455.

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