thirdreporttocongress.docVIP

Third REPORT TO CONGRESS ON THE DISTANCE EDUCATION DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM U.S. Department of Education Margaret Spellings Secretary Office of Postsecondary Education Sally Stroup Assistant Secretary April 2005 This report is in the public domain. Authorization to reproduce it in whole or in part is granted. While permission to reprint this publication is not necessary, the citation should be: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education, Office of Policy, Planning and Innovation, Third Report to Congress on the Distance Education Demonstration Program, February 2005, Washington, DC, 20006. This report is available on the Department’s Web site at: /programs/disted On request, this publication is available in alternative formats, such as Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer diskette. For more information, please contact the Department’s Alternative Format Center (202) 260-9895 or (202) 205-8113.Third Report to Congress on the distance education demonstration program EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ii INTRODUCTION 1 INCREASING ACCESS 5 Distance Education Program Enrollments 5 Types of Programs 8 Student Characteristics 8 DATA RELATED TO TITLE IV FUNDING 12 Cohort Default 12 Financial Aid for Distance Education Students 14 RETENTION AND COMPLETION 15 POLICY PERSPECTIVES 17 Barriers Identified by Demonstration Program Participants 17 Term Structure as a Foundation for Financial Aid Rules 18 Eliminating the 50 Percent Rules for Distance Education 19 Continued Oversight Critical 20 CONCLUSION 21 Executive Summary This is the third report to Congress on the results of the Distance Education Demonstration Program, which was authorized by Congress in the 1998 amendments to the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA). The purposes of the demonstration program are to: (1) test the quality and viability of expanded distance education programs currently restricted under the HEA; (2) provide for increased student access to