Posted: | May 10, 2013 10:26 AM |
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From: | Senator Jake Corman |
To: | All Senate members |
Subject: | PHEAA Distance Education Pilot Program |
In the near future, I will be introducing legislation to authorize a Distance Education Pilot Program under PHEAA. The Pilot Program will be established by PHEAA to approve distance education programs and provide grants to students who enroll in these programs. Distance education programs are defined in the bill as undergraduate programs of study offered by an institution of higher education that is at least two academic years in length, results in attainment of a recognized credential, pursued by students on at least a half-time basis , and at least 50% of the credits are earned through distance education, such as online classrooms. It is well established that more and more students are pursuing their education online. Additionally, many universities and colleges are pursuing online educational opportunities to incorporate into their programs and degrees. This legislation seeks to address the growing reality of online learning in higher education by allowing PHEAA to study distance education, determine costs needed to fund online classrooms, and to measure the outcomes of online study. Thank you for your time and attention to this legislation. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact Scott Sikorski in my office at 717-787-1377 or ssikorski@pasen.gov. |