FOUNTAIN VALLEY : Video Give Access to Distant University

Linda Dalton would rather not have to commute from her Newport Beach home to attend college classes at Cal State Dominguez Hills in Carson to earn a four-year degree.

“I would, because I want the education, but I would choose not to drive there,” said Dalton, 48, who is a full-time paralegal working toward a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts.

But now, Dalton and other Orange County students working toward their degrees who don’t want to commute long distances to college campuses have a choice.

Through the use of telecommunications technology between Coastline Community College and Cal State Dominguez Hills--about 25 miles away--Orange County students can take upper-division courses through a live video program.

The program, called CREATE (Cooperative Resources Enhancement for Access through Technology to Education), simultaneously links a classroom at the Fountain Valley campus to a classroom at Cal State Dominguez Hills.

“In Orange County, students either would have had to travel to Cal State Dominguez Hills and fight traffic and the hassle or not go to school,” said Marilyn Kelly, Coastline Community College associate dean of instructional television. “Now they can enroll in classes right here in Orange County in a location that’s more convenient.”

Using large-screen television monitors and video cameras, the professor and students at Cal State Dominguez Hills are able to interact with Coastline students. Fax machines at both sites are on hand so information can be shared between the two classrooms.

The three-year pilot program is funded by a $100,000 grant from GTE.

Kelly said one of the benefits is that it gives local students who have completed lower-division course work or who have earned a two-year degree the opportunity to enroll in courses needed to earn a four-year degree.

“It provides an opportunity to transfer to a California State University system that may otherwise not have been available to students,” Kelly said.

“It demonstrates how educational institutions can respond to budgetary problems of having to do things differently than we did before,” she said. “It’s been rewarding to establish a partnership with a four-year institution with whom we have a shared vision for serving students.”

The program started this fall with two night courses offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays. About 25 students are enrolled in each course. Kelly said humanities courses will again be offered on those nights during the spring semester. A Saturday course will also be added.

Dalton agreed that CREATE is an innovative way to offer courses, especially for students who work during the day, since it can be difficult to get to classes during rush hour.

“It’s an alternative to an actual live class, and still you’re able to get your degree,” Dalton said. “The benefits are that you can reach a broader base of people--because not everyone can get out to a specific campus. It’s just making education more accessible.”