Young artists completing high school through IU’s Independent Study Program

By Lisa Denlinger

Preucil

Starker

"It sort of stuck," said the 18-year-old ballet dancer, which is an understatement when considering that she has taken 14 years of dance instruction and has spent every summer since the seventh grade studying with professional dance companies, including the Pacific Northwest Ballet Company in Seattle and the School of American Ballet and Ballet Hispanico in New York City.

"I've taken dance seriously all my life, but I got really serious and buckled down at age 16," said Seely. "This is what I want to do."

Her ultimate dream? To dance professionally with the American Ballet Theatre.

But first, Seely had to graduate from high school. To do so, she took courses from IU's Independent Study Program (ISP), which offers more than 100 high school courses entirely at a distance.

Seely is one of many performing arts students nationwide that has taken high school courses through IU's ISP. Students have used ISP courses to complete their diploma requirements—all the while maintaining their practice and performance schedules.

Seventeen-year-old violinist Alexandra Preucil of Shaker Heights, Ohio, comes from a well-established musical family. Her grandfather, Janos Starker, is the famed cellist on the faculty at the IU School of Music. Father Bill is concertmaster of the Cleveland Orchestra, and mother Gwen also is a violinist and formerly was the concertmaster of the Atlanta Orchestra.

Preucil took several ISP courses before entering the Cleveland Institute of Music this past fall.

"The nature of performing arts requires so much dedication," she said. "With independent study, you can study when you need to study and practice when you need to practice. If you have to leave your work for a week to practice or travel, you don't have to ‘catch up' when you return. You just start in again where you left off. This removes a lot of stress."

Peggy Dodson, assistant dean of general studies at the North Carolina School of the Arts (NCSA), said her school has been using the IU high school independent study program for 15 to 20 years.

"Currently, 27 NCSA students are taking IU independent study courses," she said. "We like IU because it has an older, established program. Its experience, reputation and accreditation are important to us. Also, IU courses fulfill a large part of the NCSA curriculum requirements."

Larry Onesti, ISP director, said the program has many features that make it appealing to performing arts students: a full range of subject areas; year-round enrollment, with a year to complete a course (extensions available); self-paced learning; instructor support via E-mail and toll-free telephone; and credit from a nationally acclaimed university.

College-bound students, continued Onesti, can choose from among 62 dual-credit courses. These courses, in 26 academic areas, provide high school and IU college credit simultaneously. Credit earned is accepted at IU and at many other colleges and universities.

Seely said her IU independent study courses were challenging and engaging. "The courses were the same quality as courses taught in my high school, and I was able to work at my own pace and from my own setting."

What's more, Seely said, ISP did not require the kinds of "busy work" she sometimes encountered in the classroom. "The Independent Study Program," she explained, "is very purposeful."

To learn more about IU's independent study programs, click on "Offerings" at this School of Continuing Studies Web site:
http://scs.indiana.edu/

Interested in distance education?

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An innovator in the use of technology to deliver educational programs, the IU School of Continuing Studies is a recognized leader in distance education and technology-based instruction. An example of that leadership is the extensive and ever-growing selection of IU courses offered online via the World Wide Web.

To find out more about distance education at the School of Continuing Studies, go to the Web site listed below and click on topics.

• Integrating Technology into Teaching and Learning
• Distance Learning: A Guide to System Planning and Implementation
• Distance Education Certificate Program
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• Online Associate of Arts in General Studies
• E-Learning Guides

Information about university-wide efforts in distance education is available from the Office of Distributed Education.

Contacts

For information about IU continuing and distance education opportunities:

Phone: 800-334-1011
E-mail: scs@indiana.edu
Web site:
http://scs.indiana.edu/