Research universities to create distance learning Web site

Fourteen major North American universities will have a Web site to showcase some of the best distance learning by some of the best institutions.

The Web site, R1.edu, will be operational in September and will be hosted by the University of Washington. “We hope to provide a site where the distance learner can access some of the most significant and cutting-edge distance learning programs,” explained David Szatmary, acting vice provost of educational outreach.

R1.edu will provide a gateway to information about high-quality distance learning from established institutions, rather than a structured, degree-granting organization. Students will click onto the logos of participating universities to identify study opportunities, register for courses or enroll in certificate sequences. “We wanted a flexible group that would preserve institutional identities” noted Robert Lapiner, the University of California at Los Angeles’ dean of Continuing Education and Extension.

All of the participating institutions belong to the Internet2, which provides high-speed connections that will make innovative distance learning more interactive. “We expect that Internet2 will have a dramatic effect on the number and quality of distance education programs,” said Richard Larson, director of the Center for Advanced Educational Services at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The institutions on the Web site include: MIT, New York University, Pennsylvania State University, Stanford University, University of British Columbia, University of California at Berkeley Extension, UCLA, University of Illinois, University of Minnesota (Twin Cities), University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of Pennsylvania, University of Texas at Austin, UW and University of Wisconsin at Madison. Many of these institutions coordinate their distance learning efforts through divisions of continuing education or schools of extended/continuing professional studies.

For more information about R1.edu, contact Szatmary at dszatmar@ese.washington.edu or 206-685-6313. ¶