Using the new technology as a platform, a newly signed law looks to make education more accessible for all with internet access in Wisconsin.

Gov. Scott Walker signed the Midwestern State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement Law, co-sponsored by Rep. Joan Ballweg, R-Markesan, and Sen. Sheila Harsdorf, R-River Falls, on March 1.

The law will create a Distance Learning Authorization Board, Ballweg said. This board will form a national agreement comprised of Wisconsin and 36 other states that would enable distance learning between students and institutions within and across member states.

“[The distance learning law] is going to make institutions more available to students,” Ballweg said.

Ballweg said the Distance Learning Authorization Board will enforce strict standards for all courses and distance learning programs in member states. All Wisconsin universities, technical colleges, two-year colleges, independent schools and nonprofit institutions are allowed to be part of the agreement.

Distance learning programs make earning a degree without physically attending an institution possible, Richard Halverson, University of Wisconsin educational leadership and policy analysis professor, said. It propagates “digital learning” that allows people to attend classes and complete coursework through technological platforms like the Internet, he added.

Bridging the gap

Halverson said the most important aspect of distance learning is that it makes education instantly accessible to all.

There are two main forms of distance learning — synchronous and asynchronous. Synchronous distance learning occurs when all students meet and learn simultaneously in their virtual space as if they were attending a real class, while asynchronous allows each student to learn at their own pace, he said.

But Halverson said there is a trade-off in that distance learning does not possess the same level of quality that a real classroom does. Most good learning environments depend upon interaction, and there is very little of that in distance learning, he said. Students, he added, do not have a chance to make friends or get to know their instructors.

But, it does have its advantages.

“There is one big advantage and that’s access, especially on computers,” Halverson said. “Anybody who can get online can participate in a degree program, but the trade-off is quality.”

Noel Radomski, Wisconsin Center for the Advancement of Postsecondary Education director, said distance learning programs are not a new concept for UW. In the past, distance learning programs were implemented as “correspondence courses,” where UW shipped course materials to students around the state and country. This eventually progressed to using radio, television and finally the Internet, he said.

The law would be especially helpful to students in rural areas who do not always have access to all courses due to a lack of teachers, Radomski said. Programs would also be helpful for student athletes who travel often and cannot attend classes.

Economical for Wisconsin’s institutions

In addition to being part of the agreement under the Distance Learning Authorization Board, all institutions will have to ensure they are registered under each other’s educational approval board or related organization, Ballweg said. Only when these requirements are met, can students register for distance learning programs and courses across these institutions.

Wisconsin has its own education approval board that covers all institutions in the state, Ballweg said. This means UW will only need to seek registration if its students wish to study a course outside Wisconsin’s institutions. Once UW has registered with the other institution, that registration would be valid for all future students until the educational approval board changes its rules, she said.

Ballweg said this would help institutions save money because institutions would not have to register every time a student seeks a distance learning program.

As technology has become more affordable, using it has become more convenient, Radomski said. He said faculty members also benefit from distance learning programs because these allow them to teach when they are away.

“[The Distance Learning Authorization Board] will really expedite and put the barriers down for campuses like UW if they do so choose to offer more distance education courses,” Radomski said.

A ‘big, positive step’

UW System President Ray Cross said in a statement he appreciated the efforts this law will take to expand distance learning opportunities across states. UW System spokesperson Alex Hummel said the system advocates for agreements like the one this law will create.

Hummel said more students in Wisconsin are seeking distance learning programs and this law will help ensure such programs are as available and affordable to as many students and universities as possible. He added that the distance learning law manifests as the Midwest’s effort and is a “big, positive step forward.”

“By enabling that legislation, we can really support students and kind of broaden the experience for them just by ensuring these distance learning options are very affordable through institutions,” Hummel said.