Imagine taking courses at Iowa State without stepping a foot on campus, or even in the city of Ames. For students furthering their educations through the distance education program, this is an everyday reality.

The potential of distance education will be discussed at a one-day conference being held today from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Gallery of the Memorial Union.

“The Role of the University in Providing Distance Education in the New Millennium” is the topic of the conference, which is sponsored by ISU Extension, said Tahira K. Hira, interim associate vice provost for extension.

There has been an overwhelming response by the public to participate in the conference, and Hira said she expects more than 200 people to attend the event.

More than 600 ISU students are currently enrolled in distance education courses through the extension offices, said Lois Hunt, interim director of Extended and Continuing Education.

“The extension offices are an out-growth of the very mission of the land-grant university,” Hunt said. “Because of the land-grant commitment, the distance education offices were placed in each county to deliver information to clients.”

By hosting the conference, ISU is expanding its leadership role in providing distance education, Hira said.

“The conference hopes to show that distance education is a very important topic, and our university hopes to play an even bigger role in distance education,” she said.

The focus of the conference is to bring new information and ideas to the ISU community through a variety of presentations by experts in the distance education field, Hira said.

One of the highlights of the conference that may be of special interest to ISU students is a discussion panel, including representatives who have participated in the distance education program, Hira said.

Some of the issues surrounding distance education to be discussed by presenters include the changing role of faculty and the new directions distance education is heading, Hira said.

According to a press release, some of the nationally known presenters will include Timothy Ng of the University of Maryland, William Lynch of George Washington University and Robin Woo of Georgetown University.

Also scheduled to speak are Janet Poley, president and CEO of the American Distance Education Consortium, and Harold “Tommy” Thompson, COO of the Iowa Communications Network.

Steffen Schmidt, professor of political science; Stanley Johnson, vice provost for extension; and John Kozak, provost, also will address issues relating to distance education at ISU.