1 8 • GCU TODAY
On
line
T
he command-center setup at Dr.
Meredith Rae DeCosta’s workplace
at Grand Canyon University’s
Tempe office resembles something
out of NASA or the FBI, although it’s actually
the virtual hub for online freshman English
composition classes.
DeCosta, a full-time faculty manager who
oversees 14 English professors, communicates
with hundreds of students across her several
classes by manning a spread of four computer
monitors at her desk. She grades papers and
provides feedback like any college professor,
only it’s written into online forums or shared
with undergrads over the phone, rather than in
a traditional lecture hall. And the discussions
are constant.
GCU professors and curriculum developers
emphasize the need for a discussion-based,
interactive experience in the virtual classroom.
While many universities are still developing
their online courses, GCU faculty have
authored journal articles and presented at
academic conferences on subjects such as how
to refine online coursework through classroom
assessment techniques.
“We work with counselors very closely to
make sure that our students are successful and
their needs as learners are being met,” said
DeCosta, who turned down faculty positions
at other universities because she felt GCU had
the most progressive online education model.
Currently, GCU offers 128 academic
programs online, ranging from prerequisite
undergraduate courses such as Christian
Worldview and English Composition to
graduate- and doctorate-level courses. Since
2010, the University’s full-time online faculty
increased from only six professors to 180
across its seven colleges. Most full-time online
professors, including DeCosta and her English
team with the College of Arts and Sciences,
When Virtual Is Reality
GCU’s full-time online faculty emphasize engagement
