Through a new e-learning opportunity launched this year, students in Geraldine can pick up German and teens in Frenchtown can take advanced physics n courses they may not have access to in their hometowns.

Founded a year ago, the Montana Schools E-Learning Consortium (MSELC) will begin its first semester of classes next week. The aim of the organization is to provide a diverse education for Montana students who live in isolated communities and provide students in larger districts the chance to make up missed classes or accelerate their path to graduation.

Course offerings run the gamut from traditional courses in English, science, social studies and math to electives, including art and physical education, foreign language and business.

While distance learning programs are not new in Montana, project manager Leanne West said MSELC is the first e-learning program designed to meet the unique needs of Montana's rural districts, where course offerings are slim, or certified teachers may not be available. All the courses are taught according to state standards by Montana certified teachers.

According to West, online classes are a way that a small district can come into compliance with U.S. Department of Education standards and, at the same time, line up with state curriculum standards.

MSELC is not offered to exclude other distance learning programs, she added, however, one of the main differences between MSELC and other programs is that MSELC courses are free to students who are enrolled in participating districts.

Some 45 school districts have joined the consortium and more districts are coming on every week, West said.

So far, 54 classes are offered through the MSELC, including 10 middle school courses and three elementary-level courses.

"Initially, we've got a pretty broad spectrum of offerings with a good cross section of traditional and elective classes," said Helena School District Superintendent Bruce Messinger, who is also the MSELC executive board chair.

"Those course offerings are bound to expand as more teachers come on board with new ideas," he added.

Eight Helena teachers are offering online courses this fall.

Helena Middle School teacher Janet Erickson checks the MSELC Web site every day to see if any students have enrolled in her Life Science course. For the class to go, at least 15 students will need to sign up.

"I'll start out the year with ecology, and we'll be covering the ecology of where the students live," Erickson said bubbling with enthusiasm, "That way, kids from all over the state will be learning about each other's environment."

So far, enrollment has been slow, but Erickson is excited about the program nevertheless. Open enrollment ends Thursday, Sept. 15, and if there's a shortage of students for her class, that's OK, she said, she'll just keep what she's prepared and teach the course next semester or next year.

Erickson's interest in e-learning came from her own experience when she earned her master's degree online. "I couldn't believe that a person could possibly learn science over a computer," Erickson said.

She jumped at the chance to participate in a training session in June, when she joined a group of teachers from across the state at Montana State University for a short course on the software and online teaching techniques followed by four weeks of online study and the development of a lesson plan.

Capital High School business teacher Karey Conn also took part in the training and will be teaching small business management and Microsoft Office.

She became interested after attending teacher conferences and discovering a lack of opportunity for students in smaller, rural districts.

"At some schools, there might be just one teacher there and the students' opportunity to take higher level courses and get exposure to different types of technology isn't available to them," Conn said. "It's for kids who want to take more."

Conn's familiarity with technology and teaching technology gave her an advantage in preparing her lesson plans, but narrowing down her resources was one of her biggest challenges.

"Once you get online you realize just how many programs there are out there," she said. "It's amazing to me."

It will depend on the student, and the structure of the class, but, for the most part, MSELC courses are designed to allow students to work at their own pace, Messinger said. For example, it's possible that students working in Conn's class can race through their coursework in a matter of weeks and take several business courses a year, whereas students in a more traditional subject like World Lit would need to participate in scheduled, online discussions with other students.

Entry and exit dates for courses will also be flexible, Messinger said.

"Because it's an asynchronous learning environment, we're trying not to be so tied to semesters and school days," he added.

The consortium is supported by the Montana School Boards Association and the Montana Rural Education Association, organizations that lobbied for legislation that would make e-learning possible. Planning began several years ago, even though MSELC was formed only one year ago.

West said she's not expecting an explosive start, and she doesn't expect high enrollments this first semester.

"This is a start-up program that's like a start-up business and it's not going to get off the ground right away. We now need to get the word out and build the program. It's going to be a slow semester, but it is allowing us to work out the kinks," West said.