Working and going to school are two tasks the majority of University of Memphis students perform each day.
Professors want students to do their best, and students want to survive both financially and educationally.
One solution -- taking a video-assisted or online course.
Dan Lattimore, vice provost for extended programs, said video-assisted and online courses are beneficial to students who do not have access to campus or have a schedule conflict with daytime classes.
"Online and video-assisted courses provide learning anytime, anyplace," Lattimore said. "The primary goal of these classes is to offer an education to students who have no access to The University."
Lattimore said many students enroll in video-assisted courses each semester.
"Our video courses fill up every semester," Lattimore said. "Video-assisted courses will eventually be adopted online, but student's computers will have to be powerful enough to access both the video and audio components."
A video-assisted course includes a series of video programs which are broadcast on Time Warner Cable, a textbook, a study guide and sometimes supplemental print resources. Students work through their course materials independently and get teacher input via study sessions and e-mails.
An orientation session is offered each semester during the first week of classes.
Students are also provided a "Distance Education Student Handbook."
The booklet contains essential information about participating in a video-assisted course.
Lattimore said the courses are open to everyone.
"Students both on and off campus enroll in video courses," Lattimore said.
The Summer 2001 schedule of classes being offered by the department can be found on The University's website.
Students can select from a battery of courses, including Concepts of Fitness & Wellness, Introduction to Film, Literary Heritage and Physical Geology.
Another option for busy students, Lattimore said, is enrolling in an online course.
Lattimore said there are two types of online courses -- web-enhanced and total online courses.
"The web-enhanced courses are standard courses with a web component," Lattimore said. "A total online course is offered only on the Internet."
Online courses include a textbook, supplemental materials and Internet software.
Additional course materials may be provided to the students through the Internet or e-mail.
He said both standard and online courses will be changing in the coming years.
"The information systems department and The University has set a goal in the next five years of adding a web component to all courses being offered," Lattimore said. "The number of online courses will also increase in the coming years."
Associate professor of journalism David Arant said Web-based classes are excellent, but students need to be technologically fluent.
"Students who have special conditions, such as family, physical problems or other conflicts may consider taking an online course," Arant said "But students should be able to type and have some Web skills in order to succeed in these classes."
