Continuing and Innovative Education, The University of Texas at Austin

Contact: Kevin Wier, Continuing and Innovative Education, The University of Texas at Austin, 512-471-2731 or kwier@austin.utexas.edu

Date: September 23, 2009

Bastrop online high school student speaks at FCC forum at The University of Texas at Austin

On Monday, September 21, 2009, Colleen Wells, an online high school student from Bastrop spoke at a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) press conference on the importance of broadband Internet technology for distance learning. The forum took place on the campus of The University of Texas at Austin. Wells, a junior at The University of Texas at Austin Online High School, was a featured guest of the forum as she relies on broadband Internet for her education.

“Because I go to online school, I’m able to be more independent and make a lot of decisions for myself,” said Wells. She also spoke to how taking courses online allows her to have a full-time job during the day. Colleen continued, “Going to the UT Online High School has taught me a lot of life skills like self-motivation and time management and I think those skills are going to very useful for me when I start going to a university, which I hope will be very soon.”

The university’s Continuing and Innovative Education (CIE) division hosted the field hearing, the “first stop” on a nationwide tour by the FCC to promote broadband use in education. The focus of the event was on high school students preparing for graduation and higher education. Commissioner Meredith Attwell Baker of the FCC was on hand to review online offerings of the university that cater to high school students. These programs included The University of Texas at Austin Online High School, the Migrant Student Graduation Enhancement Program, and LUCHA.

“I’m so thrilled that UT Distance Learning is being showcased as part of our first National Broadband Plan meeting…UT’s Distance Learning program is the perfect example of the benefits that broadband Internet can bring to the American people,” commented Commissioner Baker. “Through distance learning programs like the ones here at UT, students in rural areas and anywhere in the country will be able to receive quality instruction providing them with the necessary skills to succeed, compete, and prosper in today’s global economy.”

The FCC will hold field hearings across the nation to help develop a National Broadband Plan. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 directed the FCC to submit a plan to Congress by February 17, 2010 that addresses broadband technical/deployment issues and how broadband is used to advance solutions to national priorities such as education, health care, and energy.

The press conference included Dean Judy Ashcroft, Ph.D, of Continuing and Innovative Education; Amy Pro, Ph.D., principal of The University of Texas at Austin Online High School; and three high school students, including Colleen Wells, who have benefited from using broadband Internet to further their high school studies.

One of the students, Sheila De La Rosa Alvarado of Donna, Texas, joined the conference via a broadband Internet video connection. Through the help of LUCHA, De La Rosa, a recent immigrant to the United States, enrolled in Donna High School as a freshman even though she had completed several years of high school in Mexico. As a result of the LUCHA services, she was awarded credit for her coursework in Mexico and was able to fulfill her science requirements online. De La Rosa stated that her goal is to become a teacher and to help students with language barriers earn their U.S. high school diplomas. 

Erick Sanchez, a student of the Migrant Student Graduation Enhancement Program, took the opportunity to thank the university for offering the program. As a member of a migrant family, Sanchez became accustomed to infrequent formal schooling and limited access to the Internet. Through online opportunities provided to him by CIE and personal perseverance, Erick graduated from high school last year and is now enrolled at St. Edwards University in Austin.

Additional information:
Press Release: FCC Commissioner Baker to Discuss Broadband Use in Education During Forum at The University of Texas at Austin