It's also about helping every employer and individual have equal access to a Temple-wide curriculum. Alley scoffs at the notion that there is less interaction with instructors in a distance learning setting. Instead, he said there actually is more interaction than in a traditional classroom because each student must participate in the class. And, failure to participate is more easily recognized in distance education. Some people also erroneously believe that distance learning is a threat to campus-based learning, Alley said.
Distance education is actually a new recruiting and marketing channel.
I believe that distance education will increase the demand for traditional campuses. Another misperception is that distance education is not concerned with local students. It's just as important to deliver education effectively in North Philadelphia as it is to deliver it to Hong Kong. Although worries about distance education replacing traditional campuses are unfounded, there is a real battle being waged for the distance education consumer, Alley warned. On March 9, Education Secretary Eugene Hickok approved a University of Phoenix application to operate in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, which will allow the for-profit school to enroll students as soon as this fall in six business degree programs.