ERIC Number: EJ837479
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2008-Jul
Pages: 6
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1939-5256
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Student Learning and Student Services: Policy Issues
SchWeber, Claudine
Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, v12 n2 p67-72 Jul 2008
An increasing number of students in the United States are involved in online education, according to research by the Sloan Foundation. By fall 2004, approximately 2.6 million students were estimated to be enrolled in at least one online course, an average growth rate of 24.8% from 2003-04; this figure represents a 5% increase over the 2002-03 growth rate. The consequence of this continuing expansion of the e-learning population is that policies with respect to student learning/academic programs will need to be updated or developed; and policies and practices with respect to existing student services, which often provide different support for onsite and distance students or minimize online services, will need to fit the realities of online learning. Given the technological world of the 21st century, it would behoove institutions if such policies applied to all students and services were online. What are the student areas which require policies for online learning to be effective? Issues in four areas seem to dominate: student learning, student services, 24/7 support and outsourcing, and multi-campus/system alignment. Each points to several policy issues, often inter-linked, that need discussion, decisions and implementation practices. The discussion below does not make a distinction between fully online or blended courses, unless noted. (Contains 1 figure.)
Descriptors: Online Courses, Distance Education, Educational Policy, Educational Trends, Program Implementation, College Environment, College Instruction, Technology Integration, Electronic Learning, Educational Technology, Internet, Asynchronous Communication, Computer Assisted Instruction, Student Personnel Services
Sloan Consortium. P.O. Box 1238, Newburyport, MA 01950. e-mail: publisher@sloanconsortium.org; Web site: http://sloanconsortium.org/publications/jaln_main
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
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Author Affiliations: N/A