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Holly Denney, MDE
This site is part of the capstone course requirement of the Master in Distance Education (MDE) program at the University of Maryland University College (UMUC).
The photographs at the top of the pages are mine. Black & white photography has been my passion since I took a darkroom course as one of my undergraduate fine art requirements. The photographs are not thumbnails. They were scanned from contact sheets (small working images that are printed directly from negatives). The images are of very special people and places from my home area, the northeastern part of the United States. The last photograph on this page is of my hometown, taken from a friend's Cessna 180 on one of my trips "home."
Muhlenberg College, where I did my undergraduate work, encouraged my personal growth. I explored many disciplines, discovered unknown strengths, and reveled in the freedom to express myself (exams were essays, and we selected our own course paper topics). I've included a page under "Course Work" of the courses taken.
I've also taken courses at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), including my first experience with online learning. It was rather basic - we communicated via email, our professor provided links within the body of the message to sites that demonstrated what we were studying that week, and our grades were based on timed written papers delivered and returned via email. I was fascinated with the freedom of online learning, I learned a lot, and I was convinced that it was a viable way to learn. There is a separate page for UTEP identifying the courses taken.
That one course led me to the University of Maryland University College's MDE program. I realized that I not only liked studying by distance education but also that I wanted to learn about distance education. Universities, governments, and businesses worldwide are developing online degrees, programs, and courses at a rapid rate.
My studies included all aspects of distance education and its role at all levels of education: non-formal, basic, secondary, tertiary, adult, lifelong learning. I evaluated the technologies used, from printed materials through the multimedia environment of the Internet, and I speculated on what the future might be. Of particular interest to me were the costs of the different technologies, the possibilities of what could be done, and the inclusion of all stakeholders working as a team.
For optional courses, I selected intellectual property, student support, and distance education in developing countries. Intellectual property issues are being scrutinized because of the possibilities offered by digital media. That scrutiny is having far-reaching impact on distance education, including a reconceptualization of what is meant by academic freedom and fair use. Student support is essential for all forms of educational delivery, particularly when issues of "No child left behind," "lifelong learning," and "Closing the Gaps" mean that the number of non-traditional students is increasing at all levels of education. Studying developing countries heightened my awareness of the "digital divide," cultural and linguistic differences, and the need for sensitivity to other people's preferences for what and how they study. My interest in research and finding a better way came together in my capstone project that also builds on the work I did in both of the developing countries courses.
The MDE program prepared me to conceptualize,
develop, and manage a distance education program. In so doing, it added an additional
dimension to my existing research, development, and management skills. I welcome
challenges and responsibility. I particularly enjoy developing procedures, and
I have redesigned operations to strengthen internal controls and to improve
efficiency. If I were to design my ideal position, it would be developing a
distance education program, whether for a traditional university, a government
agency, or a private industry.
Last updated: December 15,
2002.
This site is maintained by Holly Denney.
Questions or comments: holly@utep.edu