In our voice studio, I was able to hear Ian sing as a soloist. As a result, I was shocked when word about his death was posted on Facebook. Apart from leaving behind two loving parents and two sisters, Ian touched many hearts in the form of teachers, friends and classmates who saw him as a mature young man of many talents.Īs a voice performance minor myself, I had the fortune of interacting with Ian multiple, since we had the same voice teacher and sang tenor in the UF Concert Choir together. He was a sophomore studying mechanical engineering and vocal performance at UF.

'We maintain the high quality of evaluative processes by ensuring we have proper oversight,' he said.Last night, various Gainesville media sources announced the passing of Ian Burns, who died after falling from a three-story balcony at 13th Street Apartments. All tests are administered in person either on campus or by proctors at students' offices, Latchman said. Latchman has provided a substantial avenue for student-to-student and student-to-teacher interaction via the list server, and he is always only an e-mail away,' he said.Īt least one element of the program, which has the same level of accreditation as UF's campus-based programs, is strictly traditional: testing. in Melbourne, said he misses face-to-face interaction but the online class is a good substitute.

James Campanella, an electrical engineer at Harris Corp. '.This method has the potential to make the student feel like he or she is in the classroom.' 'For me, having the lectures, notes and assignment material online was a very convenient way of reviewing the material taught in class,' said Jose Sanchez, an employee at Motorola, Inc. Students say the classes are effective, though the technology is not perfect. The program also has a feature that beams students prepared notes coinciding with each topic in the professors' lectures, like successive overheads in a classroom setting. 'We feel watching professors work on the board greatly enhances students' ability to learn, and this aspect shows up in slow motion very well,' he said. The slow-moving image, however, is less noticeable when the camera zooms in on the professor writing notes or making diagrams, an important element, he said. This occurs because images on the World Wide Web move at five to seven frames per second, slower than the 30-frames-per-second common on televisions, Latchman said. The sound quality is as good as or better than a telephone line, but the image appears in slow motion. The technology is called an Asynchronous Learning Network, 'asynchronous' because it is not tied to time or place.Ī few minutes spent watching an online class reveal the program's advantages and challenges. The professor can read the questions on his screen, then answer them immediately. For example, students can type in questions while a professor lectures. Through a chat-room-like feature, it also allows students to communicate with the professor or each other in real time. While videotapes and printed materials are effective learning tools, the online program is more interactive.įor one thing, the program gives students the option of watching and listening to lectures live or downloading them at a convenient time. In both programs, students can earn certificates as well as the master's degree, and some students including Worrell are not necessarily seeking degrees. Many of the off-campus students already are taking distance-learning classes through the UF College of Engineering Florida Engineering Education Delivery System, which uses videotapes and printed materials for distance education. Latchman said the program targets on-campus and off-campus students.

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