Issues/Problems

Curriculum
Students will not pursue virtual universities or other learning methods unless the courses that they take and the degrees they receive are certified. (http://www.cee.umn.edu/dis/) The curriculum for courses has to be recognized by employers, colleges, and universities. Thus, virtual education systems must have equal value to a degree. If not, the demand for these new universities will decline.

To solve the problems with curriculum, universities are looking to a virtual university that encompasses many schools in a region. The regional university will create these curriculum incentives by providing leadership and instruction regarding class accreditation. Through this leadership and instruction virtual universities will function independently from the more traditional educational institutions from which they came. (http://www.westgov.org/smart/vu/vu.html)

In order to achieve their goals, the universities are asking states to remove barriers of accreditation and seat time evaluation. The state and federal barriers block what the virtual universities are trying to accomplish. Virtual universities want to conduct their own learning methods, and teaching practices without outside intervention, offering an alternative to seat time evaluation. At the same time the virtual universities want equal status in the value of a degree compared to the traditional centers for higher learning. (http://www.westgov.org/smart/vu/vu.html)

Accreditation
Institutions argue over the credibility of an on-line course or degree. Currently, some independent universities will accredit themselves, but the problem is national accreditation. For example at The University of Minnesota, students can take courses on-line and use the credits they receive to earn a degree. (http://www.cee.umn.edu/dis/) The problem, which occurs, happens in universities like Western Governors. WGU is made up of universities from 15 states and one province, a regional university. The institutions all have separate mission statements and goals for education, therefore, meeting one central standard is an issue for schools like WGU to solve. (http://www.westgov.org/smart/vu/faq1.htm)

In order to solve the issue of accreditation, schools like WGU are developing regional accreditation agencies. The agencies will serve as a common connection point and will tie together all of the strands to form one curriculum. (http://www.westgov.org/smart/vu/faq1.htm)

This leads to the dark side of the distance education boom. From 1983-1986 the Federal Bureau of Investigation located and shut down thirty-nine falsely marketed virtual universities, otherwise known as "diploma mills". That crackdown slowed the appearance of the so-called colleges but in recent years questionable colleges have resurfaced and complaints have become more prominent. One example is a scam called Columbia State University, where $2,000 and the summation of a $25 textbook, one can supposedly receive a degree in business administration. Its advertisement promotes "get a college degree in twenty-seven days". They imply that they are an accredited institution, and they probably are, but by whom? One of the most confusing issues about virtual education, according to one mislead student, is figuring out if a program is accredited by an authoritative agency. (Guernsey, 1997, A22)

The only nationally recognized virtual accrediting agency is The Accrediting Commission of the Distance Education and Training Council. They have accredited about seventy American Universities with the means to offer solely virtual degrees. There is a general consensus among academia that to curb and catch education scams, consumers need to be educated on how accreditation works.

Transfer of credit
Transferring credit obtained through distance education to traditional institutions usually does not pose a problem if the courses are from validated sources. Transfer of credit to earn a complete degree from Indiana’s state system is done with ease. Due to the collaborative effort and good working relationship of all the schools involved, a degree can be obtained from a combination of courses from any participating schools. This is due to standards set up by the peer board. Even if the "home" institution of the student does not offer a course, it is understood that the credit will be accepted as any other.

At the University of Minnesota, the courses on line will appear on the same transcript with the courses offered in a traditional setting. Minnesota also offers the possibility of transferring courses to other institutions. (http://www.cee.umn.edu/dis/) The problem with transferring courses is how the other schools will look at courses on line.

Minnesota also offers opportunities to earn graduate credit for selected courses. "At this time you may receive graduate credit for selected 5000- or 8000-level courses taught on a 10-week schedule or through online technologies." (http://www.cee.umn.edu/dis/bulletin/faq.html)

Course Design
Another problem directly related to accreditation is the quality of the courses (http://www.utexas.edu/world/lecture/index.html). WGU has approached this problem by setting up standards for courses (http://www.caso.com/iu/courses/category.html). Course standards are developed by both faculty and industry experts. WGU has also set up a Regional Review Council. The council will screen courses and programs proposed for the WGU catalog. Alongside the screening process, standards and assessments will also be measured to ensure educational quality. (http://www.westgov.org/smart/vu/faq1.htm)

In examining education as an institution, various requirements and structure have been set for some time. With the advent of new technology it is interesting to examine how new waves of learning techniques stand up to these requirements. Education is available to anyone with computer access through many virtual learning sites. This venue for learning is being used for graduate schools, specialty schools, and colleges.

Cost
The cost of post-secondary education is growing rapidly. The average cost of an education at a state university today is over $10,000 per year. To address this concern virtual universities are offering courses at a lower rate. (http://www.cee.umn.edu/dis/)

WGU will be more affordable and will provide broad access to many people who may not otherwise receive higher education. A five-credit course at University of Minnesota costs $445 for the course and roughly $75 dollars for the books and materials needed for the course. (http://www.cee.umn.edu/dis/)

The positive aspects of courses on-line include not having to pay for room, board, other aspects of tuition, and spreading the costs out over time. However, some of the drawbacks include the materials needed for on-line courses. Somehow, students need to obtain the technology to connect on-line. However, once one has paid for the connection costs, they do not have to keep paying it. A student would not be burdened with the enormous cost for the "experience" of education that they would suffer traditional universities. It is up to the individual to decide if the lower cost of on-line courses is comparable to the contact lost between an instructor and other students.

However, to solve the problems of cost the University of Minnesota is increasing financial aide opportunities. Though the university says that financial aide is limited currently, there are small packages available. (http://www.cee.umn.edu/dis/)

Funding
Funding (http://www.sloan.org/Education/ALN.new.html) virtual universities is a major concern for administrators and students. The more funding virtual universities have the less the cost of them are to students. In order to solve the issues of funding states have turned to private investors such as the Sloan Foundation or Apple Computer. Apple is providing significant resources to the WGU project. The resources include senior administrators, scientists, technical help, and other areas of concern. "Apple believes that the Western Governors University is a vitally important project, whose success will spur subsequent efforts worldwide, and ultimately lead to the very sorts of learning communities we envision characterizing learning in a 21st century world," said Mike Lorion, vice president of Apple's Education Division. (http://techmall.com/techdocs/TS970721-3.html)

The grants received by virtual universities help fund technology, degree research, certification research, and student services. Student services include a help desk, bookstore, library, financial aid and career counseling. (http://www.westgov.org/smart/vu/vu.html)

The grants enable virtual universities to open their doors to the community. "Our goal is to create new opportunities and new choices for learners throughout the West," Leavitt said. "While WGU won't replace the existing system of higher education, it will be an important means of delivering quality education for all who want it." (http://www.westgov.org/smart/vu/vuvision.html)