Distance Education: Growth in Distance Education Programs and Implications for Federal Education Policy. Testimony before the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, U.S. Senate. Statement of Cornelia M. Ashby, Director, Education, Workforce, and Income Security Issues.

Overview & Synopsis

Data from the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS) supported testimony given before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. The testimony focused on four factors: (1) demographic characteristics of distance education students and institutional characteristics of postsecondary schools offering distance education; (2) federal student financial aid issues related to distance education; (3) use of distance education at Minority Serving Institutions; and (4) accrediting agencies' role in reviewing distance education programs. During the 1999-2000 school year, about 1.5 million out of 19 million postsecondary students took at least one distance education course. These students differed from other postsecondary students in the following ways: (1) they tended to be older, had higher incomes, and were more likely to be married; and, (2) they were more likely to be employed full-time and attending school part-time. Most students took distance education courses at two-year public institutions. The Internet was the most common mode of distance education delivery. Of the students who took all their coursework via distance education about 1/3 received federal student aid. It was recommended that the federal government reexamine rules and regulations governing student aid. Students at Minority Serving Institutions used distance education less extensively than students at other schools. Future research will address the role of accrediting agencies in assessing the quality of distance education courses and their standards. (AJ)