Across the nation, distance learning is a growing trend in corrections, providing instruction to inmate students who are miles away through methods such as teleconferencing, video and Internet technology.  The benefits of this type of educational delivery include efficiency, in its ability to deliver a lesson from a single location to a class comprised of inmates in various facilities.  Distance learning also provides more safety and security by keeping the number of people entering  and exiting a facility to a lower number.  Pennsylvania has recently taken distance learning to a new level by utilizing the latest technology.

The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections is the first agency to implement the use of satellite distance learning in all of its 24 facilities statewide, with plans to branch out to a new facility under construction and a boot camp.  In 1995, the department sought a uniform cable television package for all its facilities and, as a part of the proposal, investigated video distance learning.  Correctional Cable, TV Inc., based in Tyler, Texas, was chosen as the provider not only for cable programming in the facilities, but also to set up satellites for a first-of-its-kind distance learning program.  The program is in currently in the test and acceptance phase, and will begin full-time instruction on July 10th.

“[The program] helps compliment traditional classroom teaching,” says John Shaffer, PhD., and Deputy Secretary for Administration of the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections.  “The demand for education exceeds what's available.  With a wait list on certain classes, this provides remote instruction for those students in a cost effective manner.”

“Our current teachers are very interested in the technology and are very supportive,” says Shaffer.  “We are going to have one of our traditional teachers in the room to proctor the level of productivity and success to see if we have to maintain a teacher in the classroom at all.  This is not a replacement for traditional classroom teachers, but a tool to compliment them.”

Classrooms are equipped with two large video monitors for students to view the teacher.  When students enter the classroom, they are assigned a piece of equipment that looks like a television remote control.  By entering a six-digit number on the handheld unit, the students identify themselves and the facility they are in.  This information then appears on a computer screen at the teaching site so the teacher can identify who is in the class and even say 'good morning.'  This is possible by a microphone on the remote that allows student and teacher to interact, as well as ask and answer questions.  All true/false and multiple choice questions are answered through the remote as well, and quizzes can be instantly logged and graded, and a printout of scores for all students is available instantly.

Because of its interactive nature, teachers can fully determine whether the lesson is getting through to students.  By using the remote, teachers can ask a specific student, who has logged in, questions to get a response.  The teachers also use a “question wizard” which presents questions on-screen in a multiple choice format for a particular inmate to key in the answer via the remote.  If the question goes unanswered or is answered incorrectly, a teacher can spend time reevaluating a concept, to insure that the students have grasped the subject matter. 

Courses will be available in GED preparation, ESL and life skills programming and will be broadcast weekdays, every hour from 8 a.m. -  4 p.m, breaking for scheduled intervals of counts, lunch and lockdowns at the facility.  Each class is comprised of 40 minutes of direct instruction, followed by 10 minutes of interaction.  The broadcasts originate from a studio in the Southern Nevada Women's Correction Facility, just outside of Las Vegas, with a faculty of three teachers: Mike Phelan (language arts and English literature), Martha Nochera (ESL and life skills) and Al Ronczka (math and sciences).  The teaching staff also includes two inmates who do office tasks, as well as create graphic designs, slides, Powerpoint presentations and are responsible for getting programming on and off the air. 

Long Distance Learning Is the Future

Dr. Donald McHenry, Educational Director for Correctional Cable TV, Inc., assisted in developing the program and curriculum.  McHenry is months away from retiring from a 30 year career with the Clark County School District in Nevada, spending 12 years in alternative education.   As the Area Superintendent for Alternative Education, he oversaw both juvenile and adult corrections, in 20 schools.

“Distance learning in corrections is the real future,” says McHenry, who added that it is cost effective and can meet the needs of the student population not being met now.  “It's the same kind of interaction you get in a traditional classroom with a new level of technology.  We're getting a good response from those involved with the system and I think it will expand,” he said.

Overseeing the site is Program Manager Marlon Nielsen, a former middle school principle in the Las Vegas school system.  “Dr. McHenry talked me out of retirement to get involved,” says Nielsen.  “It's working well from our end.  We are in the process of bringing sites on-board, starting serious production in July.  We are now doing a 30-day school program to get use to the materials and ironing out bugs.”

“This is the first time with [interactive] education on television,” says Nielsen.  “The teacher will give us a lesson plan and we'll get together with the our inmate work staff to ask how to best present the material for broadcast, using things like slides and animation.  It's like putting on a 15 to 50 minute sitcom, six times every day.”

With the new technology, teachers themselves had to adapt to teaching to a camera and not a class full of visible students.  “It's a stretch [for teachers],” says Nielsen.  When they first started, it was definitely different teaching to the camera because of the mechanics, like keeping your eyes at the camera and learning to take calls, but they've adapted quite well.” 

Developing a Learning Alternative

Correctional Cable TV, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Classic Communications, Inc. has provided television, programming and interactive real time educational programming to corrections facilities across the country for the past ten years.  Vice President Ron Schaeffer developed the program along with Dr. McHenry after recognizing the need for a distance learning format for use in corrections facilities.  “I personally felt the need to provide an alternative [learning option] to corrections,” says Schaeffer.  “The best way would be through distance learning and our technology is so advanced with real time, live interaction with teachers.”

“What it does is supplements the existing educational format,” says Schaeffer.  “If an institution has its own teachers in place, and most do, they can have a second classroom where all that's needed in that room is a facilitator [to oversee the broadcast].  The teacher can assign faculty to the additional classroom and teach another room themselves, resulting in simultaneous learning.  Instead of teaching 25 students at a time we can teach 50 to 75.”

Schaeffer hopes that the program will spread to other states, and is already being tested in single facilities in Texas and Alabama, providing quality education to inmates in a cost effective manner.  “The cost doesn't drain the state's DOC or taxpayers,” says Schaeffer.  “Let's say for example, that the complete program costs $2.50 per inmate, per month.  That works out to $30.00 per inmate, per year to get their GED, learn English and participate in a complete life skills course.  All [corrections facilities] are built so all people eventually get back out into society.  If I were a taxpayer in the community where the prison was, and if inmates get out with the ability to communicate, and have knowledge of math, English, and history, it is incomprehensible to me how this cannot be a [learning] alternative.”

“This is not meant, under any circumstance to replace educators,” says Schaeffer.  “It's meant to increase the capability of teaching to more people.”

Other Uses of Long Distance Learning

A number of other facilities are also using long distance learning to reach inmate students.  The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction is currently using videoconferencing to educate inmates in classes such as GED preparation, basic reading, and social studies, while looking into the possibility of implementing satellite distance learning.  The Illinois Department of Corrections works with Eastern Illinois University and a local television station to provide courses via fiber optic links.  Meanwhile, the Indiana Department of Corrections is planning to offer college level criminal justice classes for staff and several offerings for inmates using distance education in conjunction with Indiana State University. 

In 1999, the American Correctional Association and Screened Images Multimedia, through a grant by the National Institute of Justice, developed the first fully interactive online long distance learning center for corrections and criminal justice training, at www.ldl.org.  To date, over 1000 people have gone through the pepper spray and riot and disturbances courses, which are accompanied by online resources and articles as supplements.  Corrections and criminal justice professionals worldwide can register for correspondence courses, workshops, live seminars and degree programs.  This winter SIM, in conjunction with the The Corrections Connection, will launch a commercial application for corrections training at crimcast.com, which will offer ACA accredited and commercial courses for use by agencies, associations and corporations as well.  The site will allow users to attend an event or training session in greater numbers at a lower cost.

“People can use [distance learning] to stretch their training budget dollars,” says President of SIM and The Corrections Connection, Laura Noonan.  “Instead of a three of four day training program, now agencies can conduct one or two days online and cut transportation, food and hotel costs by a significant margin.  Plus, it provides faster and more simultaneous training.”

“Online training is not meant to replace classroom instruction, but it can make a great companion,” says Noonan.  “For example, a course like pepper spray, which requires hands-on training, could be one day of field instruction and two days of learning on the Internet.”

Resources

Donald McHenry, Educational Director, Correctional Cable TV, Inc.,
(702) 376-3886

Marlon Nielson, Program Director, Correctional Cable TV, Inc., 
(702) 651-8866, ext. 2244

Laura Noonan, President, Screened Images Multimedia, (617) 471-4445
www.simworld.com

Ron Schaeffer, Vice President, Correctional Cable TV, Inc., (800) 254-4030

John Shaffer, PhD., Deputy Secretary of Administration, Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, (717) 975-4862