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Results of Survey on Student Services
for Distant Learners
The Western Cooperative for Educational Telecommunications
has completed an analysis of the survey conducted as part
of its project, "Putting Principles into Practice:
Promoting Effective Support Services for Students in Distance
Learning Programs." The survey was intended to
identify current practices.
Surveys were mailed to 1,028 institutions; 407 responses
were received. The survey sought information on the following
services:
- Pre-enrollment (Recruitment, Placement)
- General academic advising
- Learning resources (Library, Bookstore)
- Course advising
- Counseling
- Social support services
- Technical support
- Working with community sites
- Working with business and industry
- Special populations (Minority, Rural, Students with
Disabilities, Returning Adults)
Eighty percent of respondents (321) offer distance learning
courses or programs; the following information is based
on this group.
- Length of time institutions have offered courses or
programs to distance learners:
| 0-2 years |
13% |
| 3-5 years |
20% |
| 6-10 years |
21% |
| 11 or more years |
46% |
- Institutions’ primary and secondary motives for
offering courses or programs to distance learners:
| |
Primary |
Secondary |
| To respond to student
demand for distance education |
75% |
12% |
| To reduce the institution's
costs for increasing student access |
13% |
32% |
| To compete with
other institutions that are providing distance education
programs |
13% |
31% |
| To enable the institution
to market programs to business and industry |
12% |
29% |
| Other(s) |
20% |
10% |
| In state |
59%
|
| Both in state and out of state |
39%
|
| International |
2%
|
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Although many institutions have offered courses at
a distance for a long time, most are still in the early
stages of using technology to deliver extensive distance
learning programs.
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Most institutions have not yet made genuine adaptations
in student services to meet distance learners’
needs.
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Two-year institutions are more likely than 4-year schools
to draw students to campus for services. This may be
because 2-year institutions’ students are more
likely to be time-bound than place-bound.
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Student services in which there seem to be the most
innovation are on-line registration, course-specific
advising, and degree audits.
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Aspects of student services that are less likely to
be adapted for distance learners include social support
networks, counseling services, library services, and
career counseling.
If you would like a more complete report on the results,
please contact:
Barbara Krauth
Project Coordinator
(303)541-0308
bkrauth@wiche.edu
Updated 9/20/99
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