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On Sunday, June 20, while many people are winding down and
preparing for the week ahead, Columbia and Carnegie Mellon
Universities will host a group of potential students from
around the country for a virtual open house held online.
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The event will present the Information Resource Management
Certificate Program, a six-course program run jointly by
Columbia's School of International and Public Affairs and
Carnegie-Mellon's H. John Heinz III School of Public Policy
and Management. The open house represents two key advantages
of distance learning: easy access to information and a
flexible education.
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The prospective students will be in the comfort of their own
homes when they log in to a web site that consists of chat
rooms. There, professors, program administrators, and prior
students will answer specific questions about how the
distance-learning format of the program works.
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The IRM program enrolls about 20 students per year and is
geared toward working professionals who want to bring
themselves up to speed on the latest technology. Courses
cover design and management of databases; management of
telecommunciations systems, such as ATM networks, and design
and application of Geographic Information Systems
programs.
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Students take two courses in each of the fall and spring
terms, plus a summer term, to finish in one year. On-line
materials, CD-ROM's, videos and email take the place of
traditional lectures, classroom labs, and discussion
sessions. Students meet with professors and classmates twice
a semester in formal classroom settings to establish some
face-to-face contact.
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Melissa Poueymirou, Assistant Director of the Picker Center
for Executive Education, which administers the program at
the School of International and Public Affairs, said the
virtual open house is a taste of what the actual program
will be like.
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Instead of an armload of brochures, participants of the open
house will be directed to a website where they can obtain
course syllabi, course descriptions and request an
application. "What makes distance learning exciting is the
accessibility of information," said Poueymirou. "Distance
learning becomes very achievable."
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Students in the program have varied backgrounds. Some are
currently information technology managers who want to learn
about evolving technologies. Others are looking to move into
management positions and need a broader understanding of
information technology systems. Still others work as
consultants and are looking to keep up to date with the
latest software their clients may be using.
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To participate in the open house, prospective students must
secure a password for entry in advance through the IRM
website at www.hienz.cmu.edu/irm/nyc.html.
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