From: "Swisher, Bob" <bswisher@ou.edu>
To: "'it-fyi@listserv.ou.edu'" <it-fyi@lists.ou.edu>
Subject: it-fyi: Report Warns Distance Education Excludes Some (Chron of H
Date: Thu, 8 Apr 1999 15:00:19 -0500
Thursday, April 8, 1999
A College Board Report Warns That Distance Education Excludes Some
Students
By KELLY McCOLLUM
Washington
While distance-education technology promises to expand access to
learning, it also has the potential to exclude some students, according
to a report released here Wednesday by the College Board.
Information "have-nots" -- those with limited or no access to computers
and the Internet -- are at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to
taking courses on line, says the report, which was written by Lawrence
E. Gladieux and Scott Swail, policy analysts for the College Board.
"While education is the great equalizer," they write, "technology
appears to be a new engine of inequality."
"Those with limited computer experience will be handicapped in their
ability to access knowledge and avail themselves of the ever increasing
variety of learning experiences."
The authors say people of low income, African Americans, Hispanics, and
people with less education are less likely to have access to a computer
or on-line service than those with higher incomes, white people, Asians,
and people with a college education. The authors also note that e-mail
use among college freshmen is significantly higher at universities and
private four-year colleges than it is at two-year and historically black
institutions.
Mr. Gladieux, speaking at a briefing on Wednesday, also said educators
should be worried about the cost of on-line education for both
institutions and students. Distance education is in many ways less
expensive than traditional education, he said. But he cited studies
showing that distance-education programs were more costly for
institutions to offer, and he said some programs actually charge
students more for on-line courses than for those taught on their
campuses.
In the report, Mr. Gladieux and Mr. Swail recommend that educators and
institutions make widespread access a goal when designing on-line
courses. They also caution institutions not to go overboard with
technology, but to keep it in perspective as one aspect of a balanced
educational philosophy.
Government policy makers also should take steps to insure equality in
distance education, the authors say, although they stop short of making
specific recommendations. "The marketplace itself won't help," Mr.
Gladieux said at the briefing. "The government must take on the
challenge of narrowing this digital divide."
The report, "The Virtual University & Educational Opportunity -- Issues
of Equity and Access for the Next Generation," is available on line from
the College Board's World-Wide Web site
(http://www.collegeboard.org/policy/html/virtual.html).
Background stories from The Chronicle:
"The Marketing Intensifies in Distance Learning," 4/9/99
"Studies of Distance Education Are Mostly 'Questionable,' Report
Says," 4/7/99
"Union Cites Guido Sarducci in Ad Campaign Aimed at Distance
Education," 4/5/99
Copyright © 1999 by The Chronicle of Higher Education