【《沪江专访》采访实录】

Q：How would you describe Distance Learning to the general audience? Can we say in today, distance learning is online learning?

A：Distance or online learning are used interchangeably and are used to describe a learning experience where the teacher and students are separated by distance. Interaction with the instructor and between students is achieved through electronic means using email, bulletin boards, online chat and video conference.

Q：You have received the highest honor from ADEC and Outstanding Leadership award from USDLA. When and how did you start to get interested in the field of Distance Learning? 

A：In 2000 I was director of the state Racing Laboratory which moved to UF from Tallahassee. Staff of that facility were interested in improving their knowledge and qualifications by taking toxicology courses on campus. While very commendable, the lab could not afford to lose these people from their responsibilities of analyzing horse and greyhound samples for drugs. A solution was to make courses available to them online so they could attend class any time. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement crime lab in Orlando heard about this and was interested in their staff taking similar classes and expanding it to a MS degree. The MS in forensic toxicology went live with 20 students in 2001 and we have since added several other MS and certificate programs that attract around 1000 students each semester from all over the world

Q：You founded Forensic Science master’s program in 2000. How do you come up with the idea of creating this online program? How does the program develop during the past years? What difficulties did you overcome?

A：See above for how it started and why. The success of this program has been and continues to be market research. We spoke to those working in the field to ask them what they wanted in such a program if we built it and we have continued with that approach. We won‘t invest time and resources into developing a course unless we know that there is a documented need for that course. Difficulties have primarily revolved around providing 24/7 support for students who are not on campus. This has improved over the years, but remains something that we are always looking to do better. The courses continue to develop as we add more material to make them as interactive as possible; animations, case studies links to video, social media etc. The more the student interacts with the material faculty and other students, the more they learn.

Q：What are the differences between traditional learning and online learning? As a professor, how is teaching experience different when it’s on the web? What are the advantages and disadvantages of online learning? 

A：Most people not involved with distance education would think that there is a lack of interaction with the student in an online course, but this is not the case. Students tend to be more comfortable asking a question by email or text than raising their hand in a classroom. Faculty and teaching assistants respond to student questions every day of the week including weekends and holidays and typically within an hour or so.

I have included a quote from one of our students below and you can see more at

“I had more interactions with my online professors than I did in an actual classroom setting". Seth Craig, Virginia Division of forensic Science
Main drawback of what we do is a lack of practical training. However other UF units have developed regional centers where students can go to get hands on practical training in support of their on line theory. Our programs are primarily designed for those already working in a laboratory and who have several years’ experience so the lack of practical work is not a serious issue but that approach is not suited to those with no training in the field. The use of video etc. helps but it’s not ideal.

Q：What advantages or unique features do UF have over other online colleges in the United States? 

A：UF has always insisted that there be no difference between the quality and rigor of an online course and those that are taught on campus. Students are therefore assured that they will be getting just as good an education online as they do if they attended campus. As distance education has grown over the years at UF more resources have developed to support online education and a "network" of those of us involved in online education has grown and share ideas and assistance. Financially, a significant amount of tuition comes back to the online programs to enable us to invest in the development and further growth of our programs. Most online program for example are totally self-sufficient and is not supported by state funds. Not many other schools have this approach to online education.

Q：You visited China in 2005, how’s online education developing in China? Does online learning in China have different models? How do we cooperate with foreign countries like China? 

A：I visited China on three occasions, mainly Beijing and Shanghai. We have had a few students from there taking our courses but they are limited by their government as to what percentage of their education they can obtain online. They are open to taking some courses online as long as the bulk of the education takes place face to face either in the US or China. This seems to be changing as the Chinese government looks to distance education for training and education for vast numbers of people in rural areas. We have had great success by partnering with other institutions in other countries including Europe, Australia and South America. By sharing courses and faculty as well as students we can add a different perspective to our coursework and stimulate a lot of debate. For example we typically have around 100 Australian students taking our courses each semester. We have found that the key to international cooperation is through a partnership rather than us simply trying to sell our product which may not be exactly what they are looking for.

Q：What qualities make someone a good candidate for online education? Do you have any suggestions for people who are trying to join an online program?

A：Our students tend to be a little older than the on campus students. They are self-motivated and see this as a way to improve their career prospects without having to quit their job, relocate and move their family. As I mentioned earlier having expertise in field of study is a huge plus especially for subjects that require hands on work. The ideal student has several years’ experience doing related work and is looking to enhance their qualifications with a view to a promotion or career change. In the case of many of our students, their employer is paying the tuition costs because they see the benefit to the organization of this education, but also appreciate the fact that they don’t need to lose their employee for a couple of years.