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Faculty Profile: Dr. Helena Mitchell |
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In the 1800s, western expansion sparked a need for schools in remote areas,
and in response, correspondence courses were developed to groom new teachers.
Fast forward a couple of centuries: Distance learning has become a major initiative
in education with demand driven by demographic shifts, rather than geographic
ones.
"You no longer have the same base of students who go
straight from high school to undergraduate school," says Dr. Helena
Mitchell, Georgia Research Alliance
(GRA) Eminent Scholar for Distance
Learning. The student profile is changing — those returning to
school are older, and more are juggling jobs as they pursue degrees.
These factors present time and commuting constraints that make it
difficult to get to a classroom.
"Academic institutions have to change or they won't be able to survive,"
Mitchell stresses. "Administrators and faculty who recognize the role of distance
learning will be able to position their campus in leadership roles for the next
century."
Mitchell is understandably passionate about the issue. She was named
eminent scholar on the subject matter in April 1997, a joint academic appointment
at the Georgia Institute of Technology's
School of Public Policy and Clark Atlanta
University. To her, the mission is clear — improve educational telecommunications
throughout the state because telecommunications has been the catalyst for raising
the profile of distance learning.
"Whereas teaching was once primarily 'chalk and talk,' there has been an
explosion of delivery modes," says Mitchell, citing satellite, cable, the Internet, the
Web, video and audiocassette, radio, telephone, CD-ROM. "Traditional learning is
no longer traditional."
Multiple Careers
Mitchell began her professional life as a high school and junior high teacher.
"Although I enjoyed teaching, I kept feeling there was something bigger out there. . .
a way to reach more students," says Mitchell, who earned degrees in education from
the State University of New York at Brockport and Syracuse University, and a
doctorate in telecommunications policy, also from Syracuse.
In 1971, she moved into the broadcast industry, albeit her transition was
somewhat of a fluke. Mitchell stopped by WNYC offices in New York to drop off a
package. "They thought I was looking for a job and handed me an application," she
explains. Because it was summer and she had no classes, Mitchell filled out the
application. She was offered a position as educational coordinator at the public
radio/television station, charged with developing new program pilots.
Before joining the FCC, Mitchell directed the Office of Television and Radio
at Rutgers University, where she developed a distance learning program and
launched a national satellite system.
Her appointment as Eminent Scholar for Distance Learning allows Mitchell
to draw upon this diversified background in technology, information and
education, as well as her love for navigating new waters. "It seemed like a natural fit
for me," she says. "I understand where companies are coming from, as well as
where government and academia is coming from. . . . I see how the three spectrums
complement each other."
This ability to see multiple perspectives is important as distance learning has
become an interdisciplinary effort. "You can no longer go to government and ask for
money for one program. They are looking for projects that are collaborative,"
Mitchell says.
Reaching Out
Mitchell began teaching last fall and is developing a public policy course for
distance learning. Understanding public policy is crucial to addressing technology's
impact on education, she explains.
Another of Mitchell's goals is to create a mobile lab to travel throughout the
state, demonstrating how technology can be used for educational purposes. Distance
learning can be nebulous because it has grown to encompass such a broad array of
technologies.
"It's hard to put distance learning in a box," Mitchell says. "It's not just Web-
based or broadcast. Distance learning is putting the subject matter in the most
appropriate medium or combination of media to reach students at a distance."
Educational goals come before the technology, Mitchell stresses: "You should
never look just at the technology. Look first at what you want to teach and then
decide what is the best technology to achieve your educational goals."
photo by Stanley Leary
The mission is clear for Dr. Helena Mitchell, Georgia Research
Alliance Eminent Scholar for Distance Learning. Her goal is to improve
educational telecommunications throughout Georgia because
telecommunications has been the catalyst for raising the profile of
distance learning.
Mitchell brings to her post an unusual blend of academic, business and
government experience. Most recently, she served as an associate chief of strategic
communications at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in
Washington, D.C. During her tenure there, Mitchell became the first female chief of
the Emergency Broadcast System (EBS) and was responsible for its modernization.
Mitchell has organized recent conferences to help teachers and librarians tap
into federal funds for educational technology. "Educators may know funds are out
there, but the process is so complicated that it's easy to become intimidated," she
says. A face-to-face encounter with agency representatives can greatly simplify the
paper chase.
For more information, you may contact Dr. Helena Mitchell, Room 536, Georgia Center for
Advanced Telecommunications Technology, Georgia Institute of Technology, 250 14th St. NW,
Atlanta, GA 30318. (Telephone: 404/894-0058)
(E-mail: helena.mitchell@pubpolicy.gatech.edu)
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