Should Andover College Add a Distance Education Program?

Overview & Synopsis

Adding distance education would provide Andover College with unlimited growth and potentially increased revenue. Andover has three groups of students: nontraditional evening students aged 25-59 who want a degree to advance in their careers; traditional students aged 17-24; and certificate candidates. A distance program would make classes more available and allow students to complete degrees or certificates in a guaranteed amount of time. To recapture some of the market it has lost to its three competitors, Andover needs to be the first to offer a distance education program. Its major advantages are its six starts and program length. Distance education would enable Andover to market an "accelerated program." Although the competition is less expensive, Andover could easily rebut by selling a faster and more convenient degree program. To add a distance program, Andover would have to add to the main server, and the information technology department would have to design a system to support the influx of online participants and add staff. Strict controls would be needed, such as a password program, creation of a distance education department, and faculty trained to identify security and identification problems. The benefits of distance education outweigh the alternatives for Andover College. (YLB)