virtual university--higher education 'on-line', The

American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, Summer 1999 by DiPiro, Joseph T

This paper is a summary of major initiatives in internet-based ('on-line') distance education programs. 'Online' education efforts are occurring in at least three different ways: (t) some universities with little or no physical facilities intend for distance education to be the major method of delivery; (ii) many established universities are developing `on-line' presences to extend access to existing programs; and (iii) established universities are forming alliances or consortia to extend access to programs and conserve resources through `on-line' courses. Programs offering undergraduate and graduate degrees as well as certificate and other non-credit courses have been developed, but relatively few are in health care disciplines. At present, at least 3,700 college-level courses (including about 150 health-related courses) are `on-line' through over 100 different institutions.

INTRODUCTION

Our colleges are confronting influences and interests from within and outside the university that may dramatically alter the way instructional programs are provided. Some of the influences relate to technology, such as interactive television, web-based material, and multimedia presentations. These technologies along with needs to increase access and reduce costs are encouraging the development of distance learning programs.

Increasingly, higher education is being viewed as a "market" where for-profit entities as well as not-for-profit educational institutions compete for "customers" and market share. Major trends in the organization and delivery of higher education are developing and will require our colleges to reexamine their missions and organizational structures in order to compete in this higher education marketplace. Among these trends are: (i) the development of internet-based (`on-line') universities; (ii) multi-university alliances; (iii) the emergence of for-profit companies to provide higher education; (iv) alliances between universities and for-profit corporations; and (v) the entry of traditional publishing houses into higher education. With these developments it may no longer be reasonable that a professional school can expect to remain competitive even within a well defined, isolated geographic area by providing instruction by traditional methods. As Triggle suggested, we may face a fate similar to the Donner party if we fail to redefine ourselves(l).

One of the most dramatic developments over the past few years has been the establishment of `on-line' degree-granting universities(2). This is occurring in at least three different ways: (i) some universities with little or no physical facilities intend for distance education to the major method of delivery (an example is the University of Phoenix); (ii) many established universities are developing `on-line' presences to extend access to existing programs; and (iii) established universities are forming alliances or consortia to extend access to programs and conserve resources (examples are the Southern Regional Electronic Campus and the Western Governors' University). These programs offer undergraduate and graduate degree programs as well as certificate and other non-credit courses. At present, at least 3700 college-level courses (including about 150 healthrelated courses) are `on-line' through over 100 different institutions (see http://www.caso.com).

For-profit entities are developing presences `on-line' to provide higher education. Examples are Digital Springs and Gold Star Multimedia, the latter providing health- and pharmacy-related programs. While most of these efforts have been targeted toward the working professional, for-profits are increasingly targeting the undergraduate market.

It is easy for traditional, established universities to discount the developments in `on-line' education since many distance education programs were historically regarded as `diploma mills.' Over the past few years, even institutions with the excellent academic credentials have developed distance education programs and `on-line' presences. College of pharmacy faculty and administrators should maintain an awareness of the developments in higher education that may alter the nature of their competitors and eventually the formats for their own programs. Colleges will have to decide to what extent they offer educational materials `on-line' and whether they are independent courses (degree and non-degree), certificate programs, or are used to compliment traditional didactic classes.

This paper is a summary of major initiatives in distance education with internet-based programs. Below are brief descriptions of selected universities or higher education entities that provide educational programs with distance technologies. To gain a fuller appreciation of each of these institutions the reader is encouraged to view their web sites using the universal resource locators (URLs) given below.

The information contained in this paper was identified through a variety of methods which included: (i) `on-line' search with Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe for the terms `distance learning' and `distance education' (see http://web.lexisnexis.com); (ii) `on-line' search of The Chronicle of Higher Education for `distance learning' and `distance education' (see http://chronicle.com); and (iii) review of Peterson s Guide to Distance Learning Programs( 1).