Study Shows Most Adult Education Programs Offer Distance Learning
NEW YORK — Nearly 69 percent of adult and continuing education programs offer distance learning courses, a new study shows.
The Survey of Adult and Continuing Education Progams in Higher Education also found that the most common credentials offered through distance learning courses are non-degree certificates.
Other findings show that:
n 39 percent of the adult and continuing education programs offer undergraduate degrees;
n 26 percent offer graduate degrees;
n 80 percent offer non-degree certificate programs;
n 52 percent of the programs participate in educational consortia, which enable students to take courses offered by other colleges and universities under the auspices of the programs;
n a mean of 24 percent of adult and continuing education program revenues is derived from arrangements with industry to provide specialized worker education or training;
n only 5 percent of the adult and continuing education courses are taught by full-time faculty members that teach primarily or exclusively in the adult and continuing education programs;
n most distance learning courses are taught by adjunct faculty members (39.7 percent) or by full-time faculty members that teach primarily in other divisions or programs (37 percent);
n distance learning programs directly employ a mean of 23 faculty members;
n 83 percent of the programs use the Internet to offer courses at a distance;
n 60 percent of programs use videoconferencing;
n 36 percent of programs use videotapes; and
n 50 percent of the programs grant credits for life experience or corporate training programs.
The study, which is based on a survey of 70 randomly selected adult and continuing education programs throughout the U.S., was conducted by the Primary Research Group. For more details visit <www.primaryresearch.com>.
White House Answering Questions from Internet Users
WASHINGTON — The White House has a new service for Internet users who have questions about administration activities.
Through “Ask the White House” on America Online, computer users can ask the White House press office about current events and government policy. America Online proposed the feature.
The initiative launched earlier this month is “part of the president’s continued commitment to the progress and the growth of the Internet,”‘ White House press secretary Joe Lockhart said in a statement.
Already, several other sites — representing interests as varied as the Japanese Embassy and the Nigerian press corps — have started making plans to provide the service to their users, officials said.
As the service expands, other participating Web sites will funnel computer users’ questions to the White House press office, submitting the five most frequently asked queries and posting the responses weekly.
Online College Bookseller Preps for Spring
LEXINGTON, KY — Virtual campus bookstore ecampus.com is adding 2.9 course listings to its roster this month in preparation for the spring term.
The company already offers more than 3 million items in its cyber bookstore, including textbooks, bestsellers, trade books, course content, academic supplies, and campus-labeled gifts and apparel. Also included among the site’s services is a book buyback program.
“We are adding course listings for over 4,500 colleges and will update them on a regular basis.” says President and CEO Steve Stevens.
Duke Web Site Offers Access to Historic Advertisements
