Achievement

UAF has a well-developed Dept of Distance Delivery, which serves students away from Fairbanks. It is important because of AK's huge size. Distance ed has been used in RAP core courses. The Local-to-Global Sustainability and the Integrated Assessment classes have involved students in Anchorage, Palmer, Nome, and other regions of the state. It has also been used to engage the UAF Marine Ecosystems IGERT based in Juneau. Use of distance delivery is at times problematic logistically but generally works well. It requires that instructors think carefully about how to include distance students in discussions. Prerecorded streamed lectures by visiting scholars have been used, allowing student to preview the lectures at home and develop their questions. Later those scholars are reached through Skype for Q and A. This method lessens the burden on the visitor and allows for more open discussions. For example, students listened to a lecture by Steve Lansing followed by a Skype call to Bali.