What is distance education at La Salle University?

In today's educational setting, distance education may be very different from one university to the next. In the PreSLP Program at La Salle University, distance education refers to Internet-based, online courses developed and taught by La Salle faculty to enrolled students who may be located anywhere around the country.

La Salle PreSLP online courses are not pre-packaged content. They are courses designed by the Speech-Language-Hearing Science (SLHS) faculty to engage students, encourage participation, and help students think critically. Our online courses combine rich course materials from respected SLHS faculty with an emphasis on fostering thought-provoking dialogue and strong online communities. We use the BlackBoard platform, a flexible tool that allows professors the ability to design a course that best meets their learning goals.

Our courses may include many, if not all of the following features:

• Interactive PowerPoint slides
• Streaming videos of lectures or important learning points
• Images databases
• Sounds files
• Flash animations
• Posted assignments
• Student progress reports
• Dynamic tests and quizzes
• Practice tools
• Asynchronous discussion boards
• Synchronous chat rooms

Students participating in an online course should be reassured that they will gain a sense of the La Sallian community through consistent interaction with faculty, staff, and their fellow students.

In essence, any online course taught through La Salle University reflects the very same educational ideals of the Christian Brothers that can be found in any face-to-face class; an emphasis on modern and practical education, the belief in learning in small groups, the development of educators, and a spirit of serving communities. Furthermore, our online courses extend the mission of the Christian brothers to offer education to those traditionally without access, such as working adults who may find scheduling night or weekend courses, simply too difficult in today's modern world.

While distance education can offer students the flexibility they need, it is not for everyone. To find out if learning online is a good fit for you, take one of the self-assessments posted on our site.