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June Harless Center. . . on't.
at Marshall University
The June Harless Center Distance Learning Project at Marshall University provides quality k-12 instruction and helps rural schools overcome some of these external limitations.

Their hybrid delivery system maximizes student interaction by using a combination of various technology tools. The video-conferencing piece allows for total interactivity between student and teacher.

On the computer, students can access a web-based learning platform (WebCT) to complete class activities and testing in a secure medium.

Foreign language classes use an 800 number to connect with a native speaker for practice in reading comprehension and pronunciation. Teachers and students also make use of the FAX machine from time to time during the course of instruction.
For more information, visit the June Harless Center for Rural Educational
Research & Development at Marshall University.
West Virginia is the second most rural state in our nation. This fact, combined with our mountainous geography, creates an isolated environment for many of our state’s high schools and middle schools.
 
Excerpts from the Newsletter for the June Harless Center - Dec. 2003 (Volume 2, Issue 1)
New Programs from the June Harless Center
The June Harless Center began the fall semester with the delivery of some new and exciting course work and staff development.
Pendleton County area teachers are meeting on Monday evenings with Marshall College of Education Faculty for the first class in a series of video-conferenced graduate level courses. The teachers who follow the complete course of study will achieve a Master of Arts in Reading Education.
Pendleton County Students have "Fiesta"

Pendleton County High School continues to partner with the June Harless Center for the delivery of course work. By means of the video-conferencing technologies, eighth grade students receive Spanish instruction from native Ecuadorian, Señora Shantall Torres de Raines. At the end of the school year, the students will receive a credit for Spanish One. They follow the June Harless syllabus as do other Spanish One students in the state.

Students and on-site facilitator, Mark Bowman, visited Pendleton County in October (2003) along with Sra. Raines and her aide Alejandro Sánchez Badillo. The students brought in typical Hispanic dishes for a tasting party and enjoyed learning Ecuadorian dances.
June Harless Center Distance Learning Project is on the leading edge of research and development of the most effective ways to bring specialized learning opportunities to small rural schools with limited resources.
 
Facilitator Plays Critical Role (excerpted from Dec. 2002 newsletter)
Mark Bowman of Pendleton County is a busy man. He is employed by Eastern West Virginia Community and Technical College as a facilitator for all of the video-conferenced classes it brokers for Pendleton County High School. Two of the classes that he facilitates are June Harless courses.
He, like other on-site facilitators, is critical to the success of any distance learning program. These classroom supervisors are directly responsible for management of the students and the classroom at the receiving site. The facilitator has to assume the physical role of the instructor, becoming that person's hands, feet and, in some cases, eyes and ears by proxy.
The most proficient facilitators keep in close contact with the instructors by e-mailing, faxing and/or telephoning on a daily basis. They run off curricular materials and prepare supplies needed for projects and class activities. They also arrange for field trips and activities for the students. In addition to playing role of disciplinarian, they keep track of absences and tardies for local school records.
Facilitators must be good communicators. They are often called upon to communicate information to instructors, local administration and parents. How complete or noteworthy a video-converenced course is doesn't matter if materials cannot get into students' hands in a timely manner or if the students are not paying attention. This is why the facilitator is essential to the process and progress of the coursework.
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Pendleton County Schools
PO Box 888 • 108 Walnut Street
Franklin WV 26807
Phone (304) 358-2207 • Fax (304) 358-2936

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