OVER 3000 STUDENTS CHOOSE A DIFFERENT WAY TO LEARN
RICHMOND, Va (February 7, 2006) - J. Sargeant Reynolds is a local leader in cutting-edge education technology through its Distance Education program with record enrollment exceeding 3,000 students. Beyond simple online courses, instructors can incorporate video lectures, narrated PowerPoint, and real-time chat rooms into their communication with students. Students log on wherever internet access available for courses ranging from applied accounting to respiratory theory taught by instructors miles away.
On campus, classroom technology allows students to have face to face dialog through a teleconferencing system of closed-circuit and audio equipment. Distant instructors can view into classrooms and respond to students’ questions. Reynolds’ newest venture is developing “hybrid courses” that support the large population of working students. These courses will combine online capabilities and streaming video with the traditional classroom, as students spend half their time on campus and half online.
The Distance Education program began in 1980 to provide employee training but has expanded to teaching policemen, paramedics, and part or full-time students who need flexible course schedules. Ms. Marian Macbeth, Coordinator of Distance Education, says “Teaching with technology will always be with us and we are obligated to train our students for the real corporate world.”
