What percentage of one's degree program must be via DL to constitute a DL degree? For example, a degree earned 100% via DL would certainly be a DL degree, but what is the prevailing perception as to percentages. ATS will allow one to complete 1/3 of a degree program via DL, however, the degree is not considered a DL degree. Most RA programs will allow a certain percentage of coursework to be completed via DL. Would it be at the point where over half of the program is completed via DL, i.e., 49% in residence and 51% DL? Thoughts and insights?
A research-based degree with no coursework requirement is not technically a DL degree. For example, if you were to complete a research-based Ph.D. from the University of Birmingham, and lived within 10 minutes walk of the campus, yet spent vitually no time on campus, it really wouldn't matter if you lived in England or Canada. A degree that required extensive coursework, that could be completed away from the university via distance-education technologies (i.e. videoconferencing, taped lectures, e-mail) would be a DL degree if the entire program (100%) was designed like this. However, if the program required 1 month/year residency, I would think one could call it an on-campus program or mixed-mode program. I break down programs into the following categories: 1. Resident programs (100% on-campus) 2. Research-based programs (no coursework) 3. Mixed-mode programs (residency requirement, proctored exams) 4. Distance-learning programs (100% off-campus) Most (reputable) programs require some residency, proctored exams, and face-to-face interaction. I would classify these as mixed-mode programs.
A friend of mine is enrolled in the UMass MBA program which can be completed 100% through in-class work or 100% through online work. He takes two classes per semester, one in-class and one online (mostly so that he's not away from his family too much). When he's done I guess it will be 50/50. When he puts his degree on his resume it won't specify that half was through DL. I'm sure he'll answer honestly if anyone asks but I don't think he expects that anyone will. He doesn't really make the distinction like some on this forum do. He told me that to him it's like answering the question, "Did you buy that book by going to a bookstore or did you get it from Amazon?" His answer - "What difference does it make, it's the same book." Jack
I'm going to question the premise. What is a "DL degree"? Do such animals exist? Wouldn't it make more sense to ask this kind of question regarding programs, or even individual courses, rather than of the degrees that result from them? When one does as I suggested, it gets complicated. I can transfer into a residential bachelors program with two years of credit. Much of that conceivably could be DL classes. Then the program might allow x number of upper division credits to be earned by DL, and y number to be earned by challenge examination or portfolio. Add in z number of independent study and reading course units, and it's not hard to imagine a conventional on-campus program allowing a student to complete a majority of his or her work by "non-traditional" means. I'm thinking of the California State University when I write this, because I know that these things are possible there. CSU Dominguez Hills will allow you to complete one of their on-campus majors with as little as 30 units of residential credit (24 units must be upper-division and 12 in your major). Extension credit and credit-by-examination are specifically excluded from this total, but independent study classes are apparently OK, so you could probably even do some of those 30 required on-campus units as de-facto DL courses. So I'm going to say that a "DL program" is a program that was intended, that was designed, to support students in remote locations. A "residential program" is a program that was intended for, that was designed around, students physically occupying the university's classrooms, labs and libraries. But in practice it can get blurry. Programs designed for classroom attendance give you other options. And programs designed for remote delivery nevertheless often demand periodic attendance. "DL" and "residential" are ideal types that blend into one another in practice. That's only going to continue to grow as traditional on-campus courses come to employ the web more and more, changing how courses are delivered and what a professor's function is. We are already seeing lots of hybrid things springing up, with DL and on-campus methodologies blending.
I like the question: “What constitutes a DL degree?” As most of us are aware, schools like TESC, Excelsior and COSC, in theory, are pure DL colleges or are they? Credits are transferred into the program via online courses, correspondence, experiential learning assessment, proficiency examinations, as well as traditional classroom attendance. So, attendance or lack thereof makes the degree a DL degree, right? Maybe not. Most DL degrees require the last twenty-five percent of the degree to be earned at the school (this really means “through” the school). Some will have residency requirements (one week per semester), others have limited residency requirements (one week at the beginning and one week at the end of the program), and others will have no residency requirements whatsoever. So, since the attendance issue is not clear, it must be delivery? Schools offer their coursework through online courses, correspondence, satellite, video conferencing and videocassette. Some have regional gatherings for the exchange of ideas between students. However, traditional brick & mortar colleges do the same for students with disabilities. So, delivery isn’t the deciding factor. What makes a degree a DL degree? I have come to the conclusion that there is no “true” form of distance learning, unless they mark the degree and transcripts like… “University of Texas Consortium Online MBA.” Now that’s a DL degree!
