....anyone … anywhere … anytime with Laurel Mayo!

If nothing ever changed, there'd be no butterflies. ~Author Unknown

Like caterpillars, educators are becoming accustomed to the metamorphic change technology causes in the classroom. Under the training and development process at Tarrant County College, coordinator of curriculum Laurel Mayo has seen many butterflies take flight.

“They are from different disciplines, different campuses in the district, most of them don't even know each other, yet they will tell us, ‘I have learned so much’,” Mayo said. “Ah, but they go further which is music to our ears – ‘I have become a better instructor because of this experience’." 

Emerging from a cocoon of comfort is a challenge for most instructors embedded in traditional practices. Under Mayo’s direction, faculty work their way through in a course to create an online class.

“The training involves learning theory as well as the technical know-how of putting a course together,” Mayo said.

These teacher/students who were nominated by their campuses participate in the five to six month program in an online environment.

“About mid-way through the lessons they begin to construct their course and by the end of the program they have developed a completed online course,” Mayo said. “The training team assists with 4 hands-on practicum sessions, email and phone contact, and as much hand-holding as each faculty member requests.”

Not every instructor must have cutting edge technical skills, Mayo notes to be successful. Teachers wanting to utilize distance learning techniques should be creative and have a willingness to take a different approach.

“I tell faculty that in this case, slow and steady wins the race no matter how technically savvy you are,” Mayo said. “The training team must be willing to be patient and professional and to be good listeners.”

Distance learning in the community college setting serves its many different learners as credit and non-credit courses are developed for remediation, continuing education, professional certification and core academics transferable to universities. Courses are delivered via internet through an open source course management system, LogiCampus. Video conference courses are offered for dual enrollment with high schools. Nursing video conference courses with John Peter Smith Hospital and instructional TV courses through cable or DVD/video course packs.

“Developing and delivering courses in the non-credit continuing education area is something that we are currently working on,” Mayo said. “Continuing education has a much more fluid approach than what we are accustomed to dealing with, having worked more extensively on the credit side.”

Working through communication barriers as teachers develop their online courses demonstrates the patience Mayo brings to her work.

"Persistence and ongoing communication on both sides has contributed to our progress, though it is sometimes slow going," Mayo said. "We often feel that we don't speak each other's language, so we have learned that we have to keep after it until the issue in question is resolved."

From an attentive ear to a helping hand, Mayo seeks advice for issues through her TxDLA connections.

“It's always a relief to find someone else who has experienced similar situations,” Mayo said.

Active in TxDLA since 1999, Mayo has served on numerous committees and presented frequently at conferences. In 2005, she was one of the team leaders for the fall leadership workshop
and marketing chair for the 2002 conference.

Contributed by Cheryl LaRue, North Lamar ISD