Professor selected for seminar in Washington, D.C.

Hinesley is one of 40 college and university faculty members and advanced graduate students who were chosen for the seminar. The event is being sponsored by the National Center for Education Statistics, a branch of the U.S. Department of Education.

There reportedly were hundreds of applicants for the 40 openings in the seminar. All expenses, including transportation and lodging, were paid.

In her application, Hinseley wrote that she is interested in studying the impact school consolidation has on student performance. She and her family live on a ranch in the Edgemont School District of Fall River County, S.D. She said the Edgemont schools have been threatened with consolidation as the student population declines.

With access to the NEAP database, sometimes referred to as “the nation’s report card,” Hinesley can compare performance date of students from consolidated school districts before and after the consolidation took place. She also hopes to compare the consolidated school performance data with data from similar schools that did not consolidate.

Hinesley, whose area of emphasis while earning her Ph.D., from the University of Colorado was human computer interaction, believes the research she plans to conduct following the seminar may have application to Chadron State’s educational functions.

She noted that high schools with low student numbers can supplement their instruction with courses available via the Internet or videoconferencing. However, there are few, if any, guidelines on the content of these courses or for those who provide the on-site instruction and supervision, she said.

Hinesley believes certification should be required of those supervising coursework taken in this manner. Colleges would provide the training leading to certification, if her strategy is adopted.

“A college such as Chadron State with its reputable education program could offer training to those who would supervise the courses,” Hinesley said. “It would ensure that assistance is available from someone who is trained in the use of the technology as well as the content of the lessons. This assistance would definitely add to the value of the distance learning courses.”

The CSC professor sees her proposal as a “win-win” situation for all those involved.

“The teachers who are certified to provide the supervision would get higher pay, schools would be able to offer more courses with fewer teachers, students would gain access to a wider variety of course topics and rural communities would be able to keep their schools,” she said.