The governors of 12 Western states have agreed to found a university with classes offered almost exclusively by computer. Western Governors Univeristy will attempt to respond to what the governors believe will be a growth in student needs while facing limited resources and shifting student demographics. They want a regional virtual university to provide the following kinds of services:
The governors have established the following criteria for the new virtual campus:
Name: Western Governors University
Open: June 1997
Participants: Colarado, Utah, Nebraska, Oregon, New Mexico, Wyoming, Arizona, North Dakato, Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Hawaii.
University's Role: "The vision of the Western governors is decisively shaped by the growing availability and capabilities of advanced information technologies based on telecommunications and personal computers. These technologies are making possible an approach to postsecondary education founded on the premise of delivering instruction from anywhere, to anywhere, at any time. The barriers of time and place are eroding; opportunities to learn are everywhere."
A Three Phase Plan: The governors agreed the virtual university will be developed in three steps or phases that build upon each other, but also will be pursued simultaneously.
Source: Western Governors Association
The following is taken from "Graduating Summa Cum Computer," Dallas Morning News, Tuesday, August 6, 1996. 20A. Rufus Coleman.
The governors of 12 Western States are planning a new university. But there will be no ivy-covered halls, no new libraries, not even a single parking lot.
The governors envision an online university where students in their states or even nationwide can earn their college degree or learn a new new job skill by computer.
Instead of earning the traditional credits for the number of hours spent in class, students will have to pass proficiency tests.
Instead of seeking out a professor in a small crowded office, students will get personal help, or use a computer at any one of a series of centers set up throughout the states. These centers can be at a current university, a library or even a commercial copying store.
The reason for the new vision is an expected growth in college students and the high cost of traditional universities.
"The governors of those twelve states hope that this university will accommodate some of the needs of the growth we are anticipating," said Tom Singer, director of research for the Western Governors Association.
Although the group won't be the first to offer online degrees, Western Governors University will be the first computer-based college begun from scratch by state governments. The governors hope it will be an alternative to regular universities and a way to manage many of the online courses already offered.
"We hope our university will be a broker for what's out there," Mr Singer said.
Mr. Singer, who heads the design team, said officials don't know exactly how many students the new university will attract but are confident it will fill a need. "The courses out there attract a huge amount of students, and we don't have to force anybody to use them," he said. "A lot of our customers are older adults who already have families and jobs. This is a chance for them to pursue education without having to drop everything to lead a campus life."
"But we want our customers to be anybody that's interested in learning this way."
The governors signed an agreement this summer to start the university and each state put up $100,000 for planning. They anticipate it will cost $6 million to open the university and are seeking grants to help foot the bill. They plan to begin classes in July 1997.
"This is pretty unique because there's nothing around of this scope," said Eugene Sullivan, a director with the American Council on Education.
Although the vision is out there, practical problems still need to be worked out.
One of the first is accreditation. Without certification from an accepted accrediting agency, it will be almost impossible for students to receive financial aid.
Henry Spille, vice president of the American Education Council, said some groups do accredit on-line programs, but many are still wrestling with how they judge the quality of a computer-based university.
"In the past, attention was placed on facilities, the number of books and libraries, qualified faculty, etc.," Mr. Spille said. "With virtual universities you have references without libraries and you don't need facilities so you can see some of the changes virtual universities bring."
The number of states, universities and faculty members involved also raises new accreditation issues.
Sally Johnstone, director of the Western Cooperative for Educational Telecommunications and a member of the Western Governors University design team, said there are som many different accrediting groups working with each state that it becomes impossible for a university that works with all those states.
"What we're proposing is a whole different type of animal than what they [accrediting associations] normally deal with," she said. "But what they're saying isn't, 'We can't do this'; instead they're saying, 'We have to think about how we can do this.'"
Students may not need as much financial aid because planners hope that they will be able to offer lower tuition than regular colleges. Because there will be few building expenses, operations should be cheaper.
"The governors are hoping that the savings would not only be on their part, but that it would also pass on to the students," Mr. Singer said.
Planners are also working on the problem of competency-based classes. Normally, students attend classes and are awarded credit based on their grades and the time spent in classes. The governors want to be beyond that and require students to pass proficiency tests before they are awarded degrees. This means, planners said, that students will be able to take classes from home but may have to go to a regular campus for, say, a week to take tests.
"Passing credit hours and assessment-based programs are two different things, but the governors' objective is to have our degree weigh more than the traditional degree because it will be more rigorous," Mr. Singer said.
The university will also accommodate people who need a human face or don't have access to a computer. Western Governors University plans to set up within each state in already established facilities, Mr. Singer said.
"We want to have a network of centers so that wherever you are located you can drive down the street for help," he said. "Your local library or Kinko's (a commercial copying store) could be a center. Plus we are planning for an 800 number."
Of course, faculty will come from whatever university offers the course and research materials will come from local libraries and the Internet.
Northern Arizona University will be one of the first to participate. It has an extensive 7-year-old distance learning program and a 3-year-old Internet-based program.
"We are serving communities all over rural Arizona, so we had to come up with ways to offer courses over long distances at low costs, said Clara M. Lovett, president of Northern Arizona Univeristy. "And online courses are much cheaper.
"You stay righ in your community. You may have to drive a short distance to a site if you don't have a computer, but it's not the same expense as attending a university."
Dr. Lovett said Western Governors University is a way to expand the school's online courses to more students in different states. She said that her university is ahead in the area but that others won't have much trouble catching up.
"If there is a willingness to advance, there is definitely a market," she said. "The technology is available and the only difficult task is training faculty to do a few nontraditional things that come with this type of program."
But Dr. Lovett said, there are still a few problems for online universities that the university would have to solve.
"Test taking in a class that is entirely through the Internet means you have to have secure way to do it," she said. "Anyone could easily take someone else's place and get an A where they might get a D."
There's also a problem specific to Western Governors University.
"Who pays for what?" Dr. Lovett said. "Normally each state public institution has a set rate for in-state and out-of-state students. So the question is: What rates do we use for online students, or will all the states have some sort of reciprocal agreement?"
Marshall Hill, program director of the universities division with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, also saw a few problems with online coures. He said he sees the benefits to people who want to change careers, but many are expecting too much.
"I can se the use. We're expecting a lot of growth in students, so what do you want to do? Build more universities, make the ones we have bigger or something different like the Internet," he said. "But id also think it's oversold. People think they're going to just sit in front of the computer one evening and get a degree and universities are possible becoming diploma mills."
Texas isn't part of the Western Governors University even though online courses are offered in the state. Mr. Hill said Gov. George W. Bush has not decided whether Texas will be part of the university.
Mr. Spille of the American Eduation Council said that despite the questions, many believe the concept will grow.
"I think in many ways the jury is out on this method of education," Mr. Spille said. "But it's going to increase more and more because adults working with families don't have to be in the classroom. For the younger kids in high school and grade school they are becoming so familiar with the technology that it'll be almost expected."