As Internet technology encroached on the public school classroom about a decade ago, Kim Ross, superintendent of the Houston School District in Houston, Minnesota, saw an opportunity. At first, he and his administrative team simply wanted to offer students in the district of 1,300 access to more classes via the web than what a district that size…

People do not want to know the history, minutiae of policy, or operations, or even the political intrigues of a virtual consortium. People want to know if the consortium has value, whether it can help them, and if it is a threat. In this article, the author focuses on the operating principles and policies that have proven successful in the…

This case study reviews the emergence and evolution of eCore (the University System of Georgia's electronically delivered undergraduate core courses) over eight years and summarizes the issues, ongoing challenges, and lessons learned from interinstitutional collaboration in offering and administering a "virtual" shared core. The bulk of…

This document presents a speech delivered by Chancellor Bill Goertz at the meeting of the State Board of Higher Education last November 19, 2009. In his speech, Chancellor Goertz reports that: (1) according to a Delta Cost Project report, North Dakota ranked among the top five states in regard to market-based productivity; (2) the Midwest Higher…

The Distance Learning Policy Laboratory of the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) and many states and regional organizations are coming to a consensus on the principles and goals that should shape distance learning policies. In the case of quality assurance, the SREB believes there are four guiding principles that states should follow.…

The Illinois Community College Board provided more than $3.3 million to community colleges during fiscal year 2009 to support local workforce and economic development services through their Business and Industry Centers. The workforce development activities conducted under this grant include customized job training on campus or on-site at a…

The Connecticut Distance Learning Consortium (CTDLC) provides its 32 members with Information Technologies (IT) services including a portal Web site, course management software, course hosting and development, faculty training, a help desk, online assessment, and a student financial aid database. These services are supplied to two- and four-year…

To expand online learning opportunities for K-12 students and educators, the Colorado Department of Education established a task force that evaluated programs in 16 other states. Four principles were identified as necessary to promoting equity, rewarding individual achievement, assuring quality and consistency, and adapting to diverse needs:…

The Illinois Community College Board provided more than $3.3 million to community colleges during fiscal year 2008 to provide workforce and economic development services through their Business and Industry Centers. The workforce development activities conducted under this grant include customized job training on campus or on-site at a business;…

The Cooperative Extension Division (CED) of the University of Nebraska's Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources has presented pesticide applicator training (PAT) for nearly 2 decades. Because Nebraska did not pass the complementary state legislation, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as provided in the Federal Insecticide,…

Remote education has arrived in Connecticut and is promising to expand, as this discussion of its development, progress, and difficulties demonstrates. In June 1993, state legislation mandated a feasibility study of ways to bring about bidirectional educational programming among Connecticut's 26 cable-franchise operators. Cost allocation for the…

This project was conducted to determine how best to serve the needs of rural vocational education students in Arizona. The study examined the literature on delivering instruction in such a manner that graduates of all vocational programs have equal opportunity, equal access, and equal competitiveness in the marketplace. Problems in supplying…

Most midwestern states have experimented with some type of interactive video for educational purposes, but Nebraska has developed a statewide system to transmit educational programs, mainly via satellite telecommunications. Other states may find Nebraska's experiences helpful in considering their own educational telecommunications plans.…

A distance learning program implemented in 1987-88 to teach Health Care Science was modified to include the clinical experience appropriate for Health Occupations I during 1988-89. The teaching team included an instructional coordinator/teacher and four regional clinical coordinators. A total of 19 juniors and seniors at 7 rural school districts…

Describes a Kentucky program designed to train special-education personnel in moderate/severe-disabilities and early-childhood special education. The model used satellite, compressed video, and on-site delivery systems; support services from the university, state, and federal governments, and various methods of team teaching. Program effectiveness…