States look to Indiana as a model for online instruction


There's no limit to the number of credits a WGU student can earn in six months.

Washington state could mimic Indiana’s successful model for online instruction if a state legislator’s proposed bill that would make online college classes more available to students there becomes law.

In a Jan. 6 announcement, Washington State Sen. Jim Kastama, a Democrat, said he soon would propose legislation that would form a partnership between the state and Western Governors University (WGU), a nonprofit online school formed in 1999 with about 20,000 students nationwide.

Kastama said teaming up with the Utah-based WGU would be a way for Washington to meet its “huge unmet need for higher education,” especially during the nation’s economic downturn, when millions have gone back to college to attain extra education while they’re unemployed or underemployed.

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“This would add capacity at a time when our schools have no choice but to turn away working men and women who desperately need to be educated for new jobs in new fields,” Kastama said. “The need for such an institution can’t be understated. … It makes sense to make it more accessible to our many students who want a college education but can’t find a seat in a classroom at our overcrowded schools.”

A partnership with the nationally accredited WGU would mean the state’s students could transfer course credits from the university to other state institutions. Washington students also could use state-issued grants and scholarships at the school if lawmakers agree to team up with WGU.

Partnering with WGU has paid dividends for Indiana just six months after the state launched the first online college classes at WGU Indiana, which offers 50 accredited bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in a range of majors, including business and information technology, according to WGU statistics.

WGU Indiana enrollment—about 800 students—has tripled since the school opened in June. The average age of a WGU student is 36, and about eight in 10 students work at least part time.

With 70 faculty and staff members, WGU Indiana doesn’t have set class times for students, instead letting students move on to the next level of courses once they’ve shown mastery of current classes.

As a result, the average undergraduate at WGU Indiana graduates in two and a half years, instead of four years or more at traditional colleges and universities.

WGU students pay $2,800 for six months of education, with no limit to the number of courses they can complete.

Joan Mitchell, a WGU spokeswoman, said the online school wasn’t trying to “pull students away from other state institutions” by creating partnerships with legislators hoping to expand college access for their constituents.

“We’re there to fill a gap for people who can’t get to a traditional brick-and-mortar school or who can’t attend classes in the middle of the day,” she said. “It’s just another arrow in the quiver for higher education … that allows [states] to get more people graduated from college.”

Mitchell said “several states” are in talks with WGU, although she wouldn’t specify which ones “until [state lawmakers] are ready to divulge details.”

Teaming up with online institutions has become popular policy during the economic downturn that started in fall 2008. The strategy was discussed late last year in California, where state economics have wreaked havoc on higher-education budgets.

“Using Distance Education to Increase College Access and Efficiency,” released Oct. 25 by California’s Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO), suggests the state’s campus officials could create more college access through online college classes, despite the state’s budget woes that have raised tuition at many public institutions.

The LAO report—which mentions WGU Indiana as a model—recommends the creation of a task force to create a “virtual campus” in California through a partnership with WGU.

The report stops short of claiming that online college classes are the only solution for expanding college access in California. Analysts cede that even students who take online college classes might want to take “hybrid” courses in which students attend some face-to-face lectures.

Online instruction “is not—and is not intended to be—suitable for everyone,” the report said. “Yet, as illustrated in the … analysis, it offers an important and growing means of delivering education that can complement existing formats and expand options for students.”

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