Scholar-in-Residence Program What is the Scholar-in-Residence program and how did it originate? In 1996, the Foundation’s Board of Directors determined that an assessment should be conducted to ensure the continued impact and effectiveness of the Foundation’s fellowships and grants programs and research initiatives. The assessment revealed a need for a post-secondary education research agenda. In response, the Board initiated and approved the new Scholar-in-Residence program. The Research Scholar-in-Residence award supports a female scholar who will work at the Foundation in Washington, D.C., conducting research examining gender issues in higher education such as institutional culture, child care conditions, classroom climate, course enrollment, violence on campus, and technology and distance learning. What is distance learning? Why is it a critical educational issue for women? Distance learning refers to educational programs where students learn via the Internet, interactive video, voice mail, or e-mail rather than through the normal paradigm of students meeting with a teacher in a classroom. Distance learning is an appealing option for women, who comprise the majority of non-traditional students, because it affords them the opportunity to take coursework from remote locations on their own time. However, up to this point, little attention has been paid to women’s learning and career concerns or their life situations in the development of distance learning curriculum and technology. If women are to benefit from what educators are calling the distance learning "educational revolution" their interests and insights must be considered. Who was the Scholar-in-Residence for 1999-2000? Dr. Cheris Kramarae, the AAUW Educational Foundation’s first Scholar-in-Residence, is currently a Distinguished Professor of Women’s Studies, Linguistics, and Speech Communications at the University of Illinois where she taught since 1965 and a Courtesy Professor for the Center for the Study of Women in Society at the University of Oregon. She has published numerous books and articles on topics related to communication, gender, and technology. Dr. Kramarae understands first-hand the challenges that women have faced in gaining access to technology. During the early seventies, she was one of the first faculty members in the humanities at the University of Illinois to utilize a computer for database management. In the eighties, when Internet technology was first being transferred from the government to universities and was predominantly used by male faculty members in the sciences, she had her office hard wired so that she could have access to it. Dr. Kramarae’s enthusiasm for new technology was often tempered by frustration that women’s interests were rarely represented in its development and use. To enable women faculty and staff members to provide computing support for each other and to give women a voice in determining the technology priorities for the university, Dr. Kramarae initiated a model program at the University of Illinois called Women, Information Technology, & Scholarship (WITS). Dr. Kramarae clearly understands the possibilities and problems of new communication technologies in higher education and is prepared to examine the issues that need to be considered so that women can benefit from distance learning educational opportunities. What are some of the issues Dr. Kramarae explored through her research? Some of the many questions she explored included: What will happen to women’s educational choices as more of the equipment expenses are placed on the student? If women are isolated, rather than meeting together before, in and after classes, will they be less likely to offer viewpoints that challenge the traditional educational perspectives? Will there be accommodation by teachers and other students to women’s realities and experiences? Why is there so little interest in the new kinds of communication skills required in distance learning? What kinds of technical support will be offered and in what ways? Will women be specifically included in the institutional outreach programs for new students? What attention is being paid to the types of courses that will be offered? As educational programs are increasingly being driven by profit concerns, will women’s educational and career needs be well considered? Read Dr. Kramarae's research project The Third Shift - Women Learning Online Diamond Donor Program     AAUW of VA Homepage