Background
In Chapter 9 "Administration, Management and Policy" of Moore and Kearsley's Distance Education: A Systems View (1996), the authors examine the management of distance education institutions and discuss planning, staffing, budgeting, scheduling, and policy issues. Moore and Kearsley advocate the use of cost-benefit analysis in the planning stage; suggest that staffing efforts should include faculty, course developers, media specialists, program directors, clerks, and department heads; recommend appropriate resource allocation of the budget based on the context of distance education priorities; note that the key issues in scheduling distance education courses are course registration, completion dates, and student pacing; and support policy efforts to regulate the growth and quality of cross-state distance education programs (pp. 173-195).
Scope
This paper will first address the unique policies and programs of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) and then examine the operations of the largest cooperative distance education project, the Western Governors University (WGU).
WICHE is a cooperative educational organization of 15 western U.S. states. WICHE members collaborate on the "resource sharing and cost effective services" for the 15-member states' public and private colleges and universities (1998). The organization has several programs designed to facilitate their goals. These include: a student exchange program; the Western Cooperative for Educational Telecommunications; the Western Policy Exchange; a doctoral scholars program; and the Consortium for North American Higher Education Collaboration. In addition, through policies such as WICHE's Western Joint Purchasing Initiative, higher education institutions can reduce the costs of telecommunications services and equipment (1998).
One of WICHE's collaborative efforts is working with the Western Governors Association to:
The Western States Governors Association (WSGA) is a public-private joint venture of several western state governors and businesses, including IBM, Sun Microsystems, AT&T (1998). The WSGA has established the Western Governors University, formerly known as the "Western Virtual University."
SmartStates is a mechanism of the WGA, designed to "manage change for the benefit of government, business, and citizens" (1998). Recognizing that information technology is "the single most powerful agent of change in organizational life," the WGA dedicates their efforts to promote market efficiency in information technology through the development of accessible, cost-effective networked services for the public and private sectors (1998).
In planning and budgeting for the WGU, the WGA:
Founded on the philosophies of partnership and competition, the WGU targets two basic academic markets: competency-based and brokering (WICHE, 1998). The WGU defines their educational product as "the formal recognition of acquired skills and knowledge by focusing on student competencies" (WGA, 1998). Even though the University is not intended to be a replacement of a traditional campus, the WGU has no teaching faculty. Rather, academic content at WGU is furnished by contractors, such as faculty at established U.S. universities (WGA, 1998). Some of the contractors are WICHE members (WICHE, 1998).
WGU offers several competency-based degree programs: Associate of Applied Science Degree and Certificate in Electronics Manufacturing Technology and an Associate of Arts Degree. Although there are sixteen U.S. states and one territory participating in WGU, there are no campuses. Rather, local access centers provide students with initial access to the SmartCatalog/Advisor, the WGU's principal access point for students, along with administrative information handouts on WGU's policies and programs. The SmartCatalog/Advisor on-line system coordinates the scheduling of classes. Exam proctoring of course-related tests, such as pre-enrollment assessments, are also administered at the local access centers. WGU plans to have at least one local access center in every state (WICHE, 1998).
The University is accredited by an inter-regional committee that maintains common eligibility requirements and ensures that WGU's competency-based degrees are equivalent to traditional degrees (WICHE, 1998). Further, WGU's degrees and competencies are overseen by program councils of faculty and practitioners (WICHE, 1998). Finally, WGU has a national advisory board made up of representatives from 3Com, Apple Computer, IBM, Sun Microsystems, AT&T, and the Sloan Foundation.
The Western Governors University, first piloted in February 1998, is likely to become a prototype for other joint ventures between the public and private sectors. Since providing the funding to establish these networks requires costly upgrades to the telecommunications infrastructure, a cooperative effort is both a necessity and a cost-effective way to offer distance education opportunities to a diverse population of new and returning students.
Moore, M. G., & Kearsley, G. (1996). Distance education: A systems view. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Company.
On-line
Western Cooperative for Educational Telecommunications. (1998). Western Governors University: A progress report. http://wiche.edu/telecom/projects/WGUupdate/tsld001.htm.
Western Governors Association. (1998). SmartStates. http://www.westgov.org/smart/.
Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE). (1998). Homepage. http://www.wiche.edu/index.htm.
Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE). (1998). Western Governors University: Business partnerships. http://www.wiche.edu/telecom/projects/WGUupdate/tsld017.htm.
Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE). (1995). WICHE Commission statement to Western Governors. http://www.wiche.edu/telecom/vuresp.htm.