U. studies distance-learning degree possibilities

Like other top schools, Penn is looking into using high-tech methods to offer long-distance degrees. In what seems to be an endless battle among elite institutions to remain on the cutting edge of teaching and research, the newest weapon of choice is one that does not even require students and instructors to be in the same place at the same time. Top universities, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford and Duke universities, have recently implemented programs offering "distance learning" through high-tech methods such as e-mail or video teleconferencing. As a result, Penn officials, hoping to lure talented graduate students who might not otherwise apply, formed a committee to stimulate the creation of such programs as well as to ensure they are of the highest quality. "Very broadly speaking, e-mail exchanges between faculty and students off-hours is a kind of distance learning," said Interim Provost Michael Wachter, who was appointed to head the committee on distance learning by former Provost Stanley Chodorow. Wachter emphasized that distance learning is still very much in its infancy. The Nursing School is currently the first and only of the University's schools to offer a comprehensive distance-learning degree program, in Nurse Midwifery. The 16-month program utilizes two-way video teleconferencing and culminates in a master's degree in Nursing and a Certificate in Nurse Midwifery. Most of the degree-granting distance-learning initiatives currently under consideration are master's programs, committee members said. "What if a student is physically unable to be on campus?" asked School of Engineering and Applied Science Dean Gregory Farrington, a committee member. "Is it better for learning not to take place at all?" Although the graduate divisions of all four undergraduate schools are looking into the possibilities of distance-learning, committee members stressed that undergraduates are unlikely to see such a program in the foreseeable future. The University is not alone in its distance-learning initiatives, as many top schools have started or are planning such programs. "All of the premier universities will have distance-learning programs of some sort in the next few years," Wachter said. "We're all going to be doing it. The question is, who's going to do it well, and who's going to have the best programs?" Many committee members said technological superiority will be a deciding factor in whether or not top universities succeed in creating such programs in the next few years. "Penn cannot ignore the new tools of education and remain truly competitive on an international level," Farrington said. "The challenge is how to best use them." Implementing distance-learning programs will not "dilute the value" of a Penn degree, said Vice Provost for Graduate Education Janice Madden, a member of the distance-learning committee. The same standards for admission to the University's main programs will be applied to any future distance-learning initiatives, she said. Although the University could receive some added revenue from the development of these distance-learning programs, Wachter stressed that financial gain is not the point. "If we wanted to expand the [on-campus] program? to bring in more money, we could have done that decades ago," he said. Although most administrators said they are excited about the seemingly endless educational possibilities offered by distance learning, many said such programs would be disadvantageous at the undergraduate level. "We'll consider whether [distance learning] is appropriate for degree programs, but only at the graduate level," said Wharton School Deputy Dean Janice Bellace. "We feel that the undergraduate experience is both academic and social. It's important to have students and faculty in contact in real-time." Officials are also concerned that long-distance degree programs may not be as rigorous as traditional programs. "It needs to be carefully monitored and controlled so that we can maintain the integrity of the Penn degree," School of Arts and Sciences Dean Samuel Preston said. Although the Nursing School has no plans for distance learning on the undergraduate level, officials are considering other graduate programs, according to Nursing Dean Norma Lang. Wachter stressed that any distance-learning programs will be consistent with the University's mission of "providing the best education for the best students" and that mass marketing is out of the question.