Connections

Making lifelong learning a priority, anytime and anywhere

As President Bush emphasized in his recent State of the Union address, advances in technology continue to transform the way we do business in America, and professionals must obtain new skills in order to be a productive part of today's increasingly competitive workforce.

Anyone pursuing a college degree can attest that technology has also had a major impact on higher education and career training in our country. Over the past decade, WHYY has recognized the changing needs of adult learners and capitalized on our investment in digital technology to develop high-quality, cost-effective multimedia services so everyone in the Delaware Valley can acquire the skills necessary to get good jobs and to perform at the highest level in their current positions.

In January, I was pleased to join distinguished area academic leaders in our Independence Foundation Civic Space to launch collegeanywhere.org, a groundbreaking new online service that represents another step forward in the growth of WHYY's Adult Learning Services and reaffirms our commitment to make convenient and affordable lifelong learning opportunities accessible to people in our local communities and beyond.

Collegeanywhere.org allows students anywhere in America, and even around the world, to complete two-year degrees, advanced certificate programs, or individual courses for credit from the participating colleges -- entirely online -- through the use of streaming video content provided by PBS, a respected leader in distance learning for nearly 25 years.

Collegeanywhere.org is a first-of-its-kind national service provided by the Educational Technology Consortium (ETC) -- a regional partnership between WHYY and PBS; 12 local academic institutions, including Camden County College, Community College of Philadelphia, Delaware County Community College, Montgomery County Community College; and Pennsylvania-based software provider WebStudy, Inc. The ETC has the proud distinction of being one of only five organizations in the United States selected by PBS to offer completely Web-based college degrees through this service.

Last year alone, more than 17,000 students in this region earned college credit by videotaping and watching the telecourses broadcast on WHYY-TV's overnight schedule in combination with traditional on-campus classes. Now, more students than ever before are choosing to enroll in the interactive Web-based courses available through WHYY and its partners, enabling them to learn without having to leave home.

The new streaming video technology used by collegeanywhere.org offers distance learners ultimate flexibility, eliminating the need to videotape the telecourses and allowing them the freedom to access these programs -- whose subjects range from business administration to computer science to art history -- from any computer at any time of day or night, and to fit the coursework into their own unique schedules.

June Rogers was one of several local students who joined us at the launch of collegeanywhere.org to share their thoughts on how distance learning has forever changed their lives. A wife and mother of five children, Ms. Rogers put her dream of earning a college degree on hold while working and raising a family. When she discovered distance learning, she said she realized she could make time for her family and make her goal of achieving higher education a reality.

Ms. Rogers recently graduated with an associate's degree from Delaware County Community College and is currently working toward her bachelor's degree at Penn State University. "Collegeanywhere.org will open doors impossible to imagine only a few years ago," she said, and she is excited by the many possibilities this service presents for other adult students like her.

The Delaware Valley is truly a world-class center for higher learning, and we are proud to share our technology resources and expertise to extend the reach and impact of such fine institutions and to continue to help brand this region as a leader in both traditional and non-traditional education. My sincere thanks go to our ETC partners and to Susan Knoble, executive director of WHYY's Adult Learning Services, and Bill Weber, WHYY Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, for spearheading this initiative, one that sets a new standard and which we believe will serve as a model for other distance-learning consortiums nationwide.

I invite you to check out collegeanywhere.org, for yourselves and to tell a family member, friend or co-worker who has ever considered advancing his or her education or job skills to visit the Web site to learn more about the many benefits of online learning -- and to realize the personal satisfaction that comes from achieving your educational goals!

Best regards,
William J. Marrazzo
President and Chief Executive Officer