Plugged In -- Helping Pay for Distance Ed

The 1999-2000 school year might be a watershed annum for collegiate distance learning programs. In revamping the Higher Education Act, Congress has authorized the Department of Education to begin a distance education demonstration program, allowing distance learning students at 15 selected schools to receive aid through programs like the Pell Grant and Stafford Loan.



Formerly, to qualify for financial aid programs, a school had to offer at least half of its courses in a traditional classroom environment, and 50 percent of its students had to study on campus. Now, online schools like Western Governor's University in Salt Lake City can compete with bricks-and-mortar schools by offering financial aid, perhaps as soon as the 1999 fall semester. "It certainly levels the playing field," says Jeff Xouris, spokesperson for WGU.



For schools in the demonstration program, the Secretary of Education will waive certain rules that apply to classroom settings. These include definitions of an academic year and minimum classroom hours.



Legislators are concerned about the possibility that administrators will abuse the system when handing out money to virtual students, according to Joe Karpinski, communications director for the Senate committee on Labor and Human Resources.



The Higher Education Act also budgeted $10 million for the Learning Anytime Anywhere Partnership program (LAAP), through which schools, working with other organizations, compete for grant money for distance learning projects.



Full text COPYRIGHT Lakewood Publications Inc. 1999