Pioneering Law School Dean Explains Online Higher Learning Paradigm Shift From Focus on 'Instruction' to 'Learning'

Distance Education and Training Council (DETC) Publishes Concord Dean Jack R. Goetz's Monograph

LOS ANGELES, CA, March 17, 2004 - With online higher learning becoming increasingly popular, the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC) announced its publication of Concord Law School Dean Jack R. Goetz's monograph titled: "Confessions of an Early Internet Educator" as its 20th Occasional Paper included in its long-running series of applied scholarly writings.

As an early adopter and pioneer of online learning in his establishment of Concord Law School, the nation's first, wholly online law school, Goetz examines the paradigm shift from "institutions for instruction" to "institutions for learning." He examines issues, such as measuring the effectiveness of the learning environment, building the online student community and experience, training the faculty, and orienting new students.

"Recently published surveys…show widespread support among academic leaders for the notion that learning outcomes from online higher education degree programs are equal to or exceed those of residential programs, and that those learning outcomes are expected to continue to improve relative to their fixed facility counterparts," Goetz states in his writing.

Additional topics covered in his paper include:

Effective Internet educators have embraced results-oriented learning paradigms that focus on student achievement, rather than traditional instructional methodology.
"On the theory that 'what gets measured gets done,' online institutions have created a myriad of measurements that allow them to monitor and evaluate their programs at all levels." This has been a critical tool in ensuring students' mastery of online curriculum.
"Online higher education institutions must work harder at retention than their fixed facility counterparts because their students generally have other societal responsibilities competing for their time." He cites a list of factors that negatively affect degree completion, including at least five that are prevalent amongst most online populations.
"There are three basic models for training lateral hires or new faculty members at Internet institutions, and they may be found in various combinations at online schools."

"Six years ago, I could never have imagined Concord becoming the institution it is today with over 1,600 students and having graduated its first two classes, said Goetz. "Right from its conceptual stage, Concord has always been about providing accessibility to a premium legal education; this paper is really a reflection upon the lessons we have learned in a synopsis of what 'works.'"

Dean Goetz's paper is currently posted to the DETC's web site under the heading DETC Publications (http://www.detc.org/otherdownld.html).

Concord Law School (www.concordlawschool.com) has been authorized to award the Juris Doctor degree by the California Bureau of Private Post-Secondary and Vocational Education and has complied with the registration requirements of the State Bar of California, which permits its graduates to apply for admission to the California Bar. Additionally, Concord is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC). The DETC Accrediting Commission is listed by the U.S. Department of Education as a nationally recognized accrediting agency and is a recognized member of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).

Concord is part of Kaplan Higher Education (www.kaplanhighereducation.com), a group of institutions that offer fixed-facility and online certificate and degree programs. Each of the individual schools is separately accredited by one of several national or regional accrediting agencies approved by the U.S. Department of Education. With nearly 64 schools in 16 states and numerous online programs, Kaplan Higher Education currently serves more than 45,000 students through campus-based schools and online programs. Kaplan Higher Education is a division of Kaplan, Inc., which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Washington Post Company (NYSE: WPO).

Press Contact:

Charles Lynn
591-981-7190
charles_lynn@kaplan.com 

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