Distance Education: Survey Results
Among the group of thirteen distance education
professionals who responded to a recent Advising Quarterly survey, about half come
from institutions that have been providing distance education for ten years or less. The
newest program heard from was established at New Hampshire College in January 1996.
Capella University (formerly named the Graduate School of America but now expanding to
undergraduate education) began holding distance courses earlier, in 1993, but first
achieved regional accreditation in 1997.
The other half of the group, however, all work in
distance programs that have been established for twenty years or more. Distance education
is no new phenomenon, despite its recent surge in popularity. Dan Price of the Union
Institute recalls his institution's founding in the 1960s as the "prototype of the
`university without walls' movement." The University of Georgia system began offering
distance courses through its extension division during the Depression era, in 1932.
Pennsylvania State University is the champion of longevity in the survey (and perhaps in
the United States), having offered distance programs since 1892.
A Time of Change
Survey participants all agreed, however, that
their programs have changed and continue to change markedly, especially in recent years.
"You could write a book" about current developments in distance education, says
Kim Dabilis Byrne of New Hampshire College.
The most obvious and universal change has been in
the way courses are delivered. "Web, Web, Web," repeats Claudia Weatherstone,
who consults for the University of Maryland University College (UMUC), when asked what
trends she sees currently in distance education. William Jex of New York University
recounts how all his institution's distance courses have "migrated to the same
Web-based format."
Richard Schreck, who heads UMUC international
distance programs, comments that the Web has become "not just a delivery system but
also a link to major resources," allowing students far greater access to a range of
literature from their homes. The expansion of what can be found on the Web means that
"for example, no matter where they are, students at UMUC can get the full text of the
Harvard Business Review on-line."
Several respondents noted that the use of the Web
and its "anytime anywhere" structure allowing for flexible group interaction is
changing the direction of distance instruction. Schreck says that in his program there has
been a "movement away from an 'independent study model' to an interactive,
group-oriented, course-based model that closely resembles face-to-face classroom
instruction."
"When we began," says Mark Rossman of
Capella University, "all courses were offered on a tutorial basis (i.e.,
individualized learning contracts between learners and faculty). About three years ago we
introduced quarterly scheduled classes via the Internet."
Rossman feels that the Internet has added to the
quality of participation in distance education. "Learner responses...seem to be
richer and fuller than responses in traditional classes," he says. "We
hypothesize that this is due to learners having more time to develop responses and to
integrate responses with their prior experiences, the class reading assignments, or the
wider body of relevant literature."
Also commented on were distance education's
increasing focus on an adult audience, and often on industry and career-specific
instruction. Current distance education, believes Karen Vignare of the Rochester Institute
of Technology, "is structured for a part-time, adult type of student. Generally it is
not as successful as an experience for traditional age students."
Generally remarked upon movements toward
commercialization and wider involvement in distance education were laid out in detail by
Peter Forester of Pennsylvania State University. "Major trends in distance education
today focus on scalability (how many students may effectively be taught by a single
instructor)," says Forester, "and the related cost effectiveness of distance
education; continued integration of new computer-based technologies to enhance interaction
among students and between students and faculty in order to create a learning community;
this process's subsequent step, the virtual university movement; and increased competition
among universities, corporate universities, and private providers."
"Many universities are scrambling to enter
the distance education market," says Rossman. Price observes that distance learning
is becoming more accepted by the broader world "as a valid format for `going to
school.'"
Growth appears to have occurred not only in the
number of institutions offering distance education but also in the range of programs
offered by individual institutions. Jex notes that universities are also increasingly
"augmenting their `regular' face-to-face programs with on-line modules and
supplements."
The survey respondents themselves all indicated
that their institutions had begun offering more courses in recent years, with many noting
as a milestone the introduction of full distance-based degree programs.
Types of Programs
Considerable variety exists in the types of
present and emerging distance programs offered by survey respondents. All indicated that
their programs were open to international enrollment, though in some cases program
structure made this impractical; for instance, the Union Institute's undergraduate
programs requiring weekend seminars three times per year. The Union Institute also offers
individually designed doctoral programs with less demanding residency requirements.
New Hampshire College offers over one hundred
undergraduate courses and a master of business administration degree on-line. According to
Dabilis Byrne, "the college is at the crossroads of endorsing undergraduate degrees
on-line" and introducing such programs.
UMUC, recently named as the largest U.S.
"cybercollege" by InterEd, offers fifteen bachelor's degrees and eight master's
degrees in a wide range of fields. All can be fully completed at a distance, with no
residency required.
New York University offers a master of science
degree in management systems entirely on-line, as well as a variety of continuing
education courses. Jex cited courses such as English language training and business
writing as a few of those that might be of interest to an international audience.
Capella University offers degree study through
its schools of education and professional practice, psychology, organization and
management, and human services. The University of Phoenix offers an associate degree in
general studies along with a number of bachelor's and graduate degrees in the areas of
business and management, computer information systems, and nursing (for U.S.-licensed
nurses).
The Rochester Institute of Technology currently
has five master of science programs on-line (applied statistics, environmental health and
safety management, health systems administration, information technology, and software
development and
management) as well as three undergraduate programs, thirteen certificate programs, and
about two hundred courses.
Pennsylvania State University offers certificate
programs; associate degrees in business, liberal arts, and dietetic management; and is
developing a four-year bachelor's degree in liberal arts. None of these programs has a
residency requirement. The university anticipates developing graduate programs, which may
have some residency requirements.
Rio Salado College offers associate degree study.
The University of Georgia does not offer full degrees at a distance but students can take
about 150 undergraduate courses as well as completing certificate programs in professional
areas from market research to turfgrass management.
Generally the programs surveyed did not offer
financial aid to international students (the respondents from Union Institute and UMUC
indicated that some limited assistance may be available at their institutions).
International Enrollment
While all the participating programs accept
international enrollment, not all actually see a great deal of it. In fact the general
status of international enrollment in U.S. distance programs was most often described as
small, if growing.
Says Karen Mills of Rio Salado College:
"Currently there are only fifteen students from countries other than the United
States participating in our distance learning program. The number fluctuates—and a
fair number of these students are American citizens living abroad (military)."
"Currently, fewer than 1 percent of our
distance learning enrollments are international students (defined as non-U.S. citizens
outside the United States)," says Schreck of UMUC. "We see an increasing level
of interest in distance learning among international students, and expect these
enrollments to rise
dramatically."
"About 5 percent of our learners are
international," says Rossman of Capella University. "Last semester, an
approximate total of thirty-five international students took on-line courses, says NYU's
Jex. "We see an increase."
In terms of regions seen and majors sought by
international students, respondents made few precise statements. Pennsylvania State
currently has enrollment from fifty countries. Most international enrollment in Capella
University comes from Asia and Europe, according to Rossman. Jex has found particular
interest in New York University's programs among Asians, with the Middle East another
recent growth area. He cites popular fields as including English language, writing,
information technology, finance, and management areas, with the advanced certificate and
master of science programs seen as "most practical."
The most internationally popular distance majors
at New Hampshire College are computer information systems and international business.
Forester reports that business and health care are important areas for international
students enrolling at Pennsylvania State, though "their course selection is quite
diverse."
Problems and Differences
In general the survey respondents said that they
had not encountered substantial problems with their international applicants and students.
Nor did any report having encountered difficulties with recognition of their programs in
students' home countries. Mail delays, predictably, were a familiar irritant. Some
programs also mentioned that international applicants seemed to have a more difficult time
gathering full information on programs and admissions policies initially. The other
difficulties reported as specific to international students focused on English language
and various cultural differences (cultural difference was also seen by respondents as
providing important benefits and diversity to their programs).
"Most distance education programs require
extensive use of written English," comments Rossman. "This can be a problem for
many international students."
"English proficiency must be higher than the
students going to regular programs," says Xiaoxing Han, who teaches for the
University of Phoenix, "for they must plunge into the course and there is no ESL to
serve as preparation." (Unless, of course, what they're taking by distance methods is
English language courses, she adds.)
"They must be able to read, write, and
comprehend at the academic level to which they are applying," says Schreck. "It
is not sufficient," he emphasizes, simply to have a TOEFL score that meets admission
requirements.
Cultural differences have been encountered even
at the beginning, when explaining tuition. "Students are not always familiar with the
American `pay as you go' system of higher education," says Forester, "and are
shocked by the cost."
Once classes have started, more differences can
emerge. Says Schreck: "the learning method in the U.S. may be very different from
that of the home country. For example, home instruction may be more faculty-driven than in
the United States, where students are expected to participate extensively. Also, in the
U.S., there is an expectation of projects and other performance throughout the semester,
not just at the end."
However, Schreck (and the other respondents) view
cultural difference as more valued than problematic. "A cross-cultural learning
experience such as exists when students from several countries are together in a Web-based
course offers students a broad understanding of different perspectives," he says.
"We have a number of examples of this, for example, U.S. and Russian approaches to
management can become apparent in a class discussion. In one instance, a case study
included a manager telling a subordinate to `take care of it' when a problem arose. U.S.
students tended to accept this as sensible practice while Russian students felt the
manager should not have delegated so much authority to subordinates. Such classroom
experiences can enhance people's understanding of the global nature of the world we live
in."
"Culture is a welcome twist to our
program," comments Dabilis Byrnes of New Hampshire College.
Forester mentions that Pennsylvania State
University is currently internationalizing its curriculum campus wide, which he believes
should reduce instances where "concepts that might be second nature to U.S. students
and faculty are not as easily grasped or are not understood by international
students."
The U.S. Distance Classroom
Forester describes the U.S. distance classrooms
as tending to differ in several ways (not all positive), from the model in other
countries.
"One of the biggest difference between U.S.
institutions and those in other countries, from my experiences," he says, "are
the greater focus on face-to-face meetings among students or maybe with a mentor...in
other countries. This is very much the Open University model. Many American programs rely
on more asynchronous communications, partly because of the U.S. technological
infrastructure and partly due to our geographic expanse and culture. We also tend to
facilitate synchronous meetings with technology. Very few of our students ever meet their
faculty member face-to-face."
"Second, the role of distance education
programs within the larger institution tend to be different," says Forester. "In
the United States, distance learning programs are an income source. Often they are part of
an institution's outreach or continuing education function and as such are required to
cover the expenses of their operation and potentially generate positive income. In other
countries, distance education is another educational service generally funded as part of
the institution's overall budget. Freed from the financial constraints of `selling a
product,' more time may be spent researching, developing, and assessing distance education
courses."
Richard Schreck has puzzled over what appears to
him to be international students' differing levels of interest in different types of U.S.
distance learning experiences. He says that "potential [international] students
appear more ready to accept a distance learning program based on the classroom model than
a program using a self-study approach. This may be related to a cultural preference for
faculty-centered approaches but other explanations are possible."
"For example, he continues, "potential
students may have had or been told of negative experiences with existing distance
programs, many of which have tended to emphasize self study; also, the classroom model can
place students in classes with students from the United States and other countries, which
may be considered a desirable feature."
Choosing a Program
Asked for their thoughts as to what international
students selecting distance education should be considering, survey respondents offered a
range of suggestions. Most universal among these ideas were issues of quality, access, and
student readiness.
Quality
Accreditation was mentioned by every respondent
as the basic indicator of minimal quality for U.S. programs. "International students
should be aware of the many unaccredited programs that are providing degrees," says
Rossman. "Learners should know the differences between various forms of
accreditation."
Lucia Worthington, a consultant for several
distance institutions including Simon Fraser College in Canada, expanded on the importance
of quality checking, saying that students also need "to understand the reputation of
the institution" and ask the question, "Will this institution's courses be
transferable?"
"Check out independent sources for the
reputation as well as the accreditation of the providers," emphasizes Han.
"Students should...pay close attention to
the track record of the university offering the instruction, says Schreck. "Has the
university actually conducted this class or degree program before and where were the
students located?"
Survey respondents also touched on some specific
concerns affecting program quality:
- Instruction. How much interaction can be expected
with program faculty? "Do instructors give continual feedback?" asks
Worthington.
What about interaction with other students?
"Make sure the program has an important class participation component rather than
simply individual-based questions and answers," recommends Han.
Do courses use technology effectively?
"While some courses use the full power of the Web," says Schreck, "others
are limited to instruction interaction by only e-mail or a discussion list."
- Testing. "How is the testing done?,"
Worthington suggests that students ask. "If there is no proctor for exams, this may
be a problem."
- Student support. Another question Worthington
recommends asking is "Is technical support available twenty-four/seven?"
"Student support such as counseling,
technical assistance, textbook purchase, and so on should be available," says Han.
Weatherford advises that programs should offer
"not only the technical equipment and systems but the personnel infrastructure to
help students set up, connect, and successfully learn in a medium and high tech
environment." Programs, she adds, should "offer student training on distance
education, or at least a manual, tips, counseling, and so forth."
Access
Their non-U.S. location makes questions of
program format as well as technological and time requirements particularly important for
international students. "If a campus wants students to [study in real-time],"
says Vignare, " to have synchronous learning either through phone, videoconferencing,
or computer conferencing—these are major limitations to international students."
"Accessibility is a major issue for
international students," comments Forester. "Can they access course material
that is on the Web, for example? Another question might be what is the cost of e-mail to
the United States? Residency requirements are also important to check, how much of the
program may actually be done at a distance."
NYU's Jex brought up a number of specific
practical points that have affected the access of his university's students. "They
must also be certain of the system requirements of the courses, including what level of
equipment they must use to access the courses," he says. "Many international
students access Web courses from their office computers; many only have Web access through
their companies. So the issue here is can they have sufficient access (in terms of time)
at their offices. And, also, if their office systems employ `firewalls' for security,
students must check with their office systems administrators to determine how to access
the on-line course via the Internet. For those using computers at home, they must have a
dependable Internet service provider for their dial-up access."
Readiness
Beyond such basics as a good knowledge of
English, survey participants emphasized other characteristics that distance learners
should have such as maturity, motivation, and a knowledge of what makes this form of
education different.
"International students can best prepare by
doing their homework as they compare and evaluate distance learning programs," says
Schreck. They should ask questions of the various programs they are interested in well in
advance."
Karen Mills of Rio Salado College says that her
advice "is the same for all students regardless of where they are. They need to be
self-directed and they need to make sure they have the appropriate technology....They
should read all materials that are provided to them and take advantage of all services
that are available, such as tutoring."
"Participants must be aware that they
themselves will have to ensure that their participation is regular and sustained,"
says Jex. "A lot of activity tends to trail off later in the course, and participants
drop out at a higher rate (at least that's our experience)."
Students, Rossman concludes, "need to be
aware of the strong need to be self-directed and self-disciplined when taking courses via
distance education."
"As far as understanding what a distance
learning experience is like," says Forester, "this should be part of what the
institution providing the program offers to the student. In general, quality distance
education programs are not easy."
Claudine Weatherford suggests that students
"take an on-line course or two before committing to a degree program."
"Students should be aware that this format
is different than `traditional' means of attending school," says Dan Price of the
Union Institute. "It is not therefore a poor second choice. It should be a distinct
choice, one in which the student knows both the advantages and potential drawbacks to the
format(s) selected. Students should read about choices and more importantly talk with
those who have already gone to school through these various media. They should also know
that the best road to success in this format is quite simply to communicate and then to
communicate more."
Thanks to Kim Dabilis Byrne, New Hampshire
College; Peter Forester, Pennsylvania State University; Xiaoxing Han; William Jex, New
York University; Karen Mills, Rio Salado College; Dan Price, The Union Institute; Mark
Rossman, Capella University; Carmen Schuler, University System of Georgia Independent
Study; Karen Vignare, Rochester Institute of Technology; Claudine Weatherford, Raven Rocks
Resources; Lucia Worthington, Educational Consultant.
