The
Electronic
Campus:

Middlebourne, W.Va. — West Virginia Governor Cecil Underwood — at the rededication of a one-room school he attended in Tyler County — said the Southern Regional Education Board’s Electronic Campus is a “kind of one-room school of the future” for anyone with access to the Internet.

“As youngsters growing up in this community, we felt fortunate to have this school and a teacher. Now, through the Electronic Campus, people in the most rural areas can have a variety of college courses literally at the doorstep of their homes or offices. In Tyler County, or in any community, you can study with some of the best professors that our nation has — and take courses on your own schedule.

“The Electronic Campus is the nation’s largest, most successful marketplace of distance learning courses. It allows anyone with a computer to find more than 2,000 quality courses offered by the colleges and universities in the 16-state Southern Regional Education Board region,” Underwood said.

Governor Underwood, SREB chairman, said he has witnessed many innovative approaches to improving higher education in the last 50 years. “The Electronic Campus is the most promising initiative I have seen. When you ‘travel’ via your computer to the Electronic Campus at its Web site address of www.srec.sreb.org, you will find more than 2,000 courses and 75 degree programs offered by more than 200 colleges and universities.

“You can take courses at a convenient time. You can be 18 or 80, and you do not have to drive a mile or spend time looking for a parking place on a college campus. But you have the opportunity to develop skills, earn college credits for certification, or earn a degree. Previously, the distance to a college or a conflicting work schedule may have made these goals difficult or impossible to achieve,” the governor said.

Everyone who takes these courses has the assurance that the course and program offerings have met standards spelled out in the Principles of Good Practice established by the Southern Regional Education Board. This sets the Electronic Campus apart from many other distance-learning programs.

Who benefits from the Electronic Campus?

     Students: They can choose from a large selection of courses — all conveniently assembled at one place — and they take courses when and where they want. Improving skills and earning degrees, which once seemed impossible, are now within reach.

     Colleges and universities: The pool of potential students is now much larger, and not a single new classroom is needed for these students. Working through the SREB, the nation’s first interstate compact for education, states can streamline state-to-state sharing and overcome barriers that have made it difficult for colleges and universities to offer programs and courses across state lines.

     Employers: They can come to the Electronic Campus and find courses that their employees need. They also can work with the colleges and universities to ensure needed courses are available.

     States: The Electronic Campus enables states to work together in creating programs and courses. The “electronic wheel” will not have to be reinvented each time. Quality programs and courses in any of the 16 SREB states can be equally accessible to students in all SREB states.

The Electronic Campus grows and changes almost daily. New courses are added. Colleges and universities continue to join, and the number of degree programs grows. Independent colleges and universities in the SREB states now are joining the Electronic Campus.

The SREB Web site, www.sreb.org, contains basic information about the Electronic Campus. Prospective students easily can search hundreds of courses by subject, level, requirements and cost. They can move by a “hot link” to the college or university offering the course or program and get more information and details about enrolling.

SREB celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1998. Its member states are Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia.

Who:     Anyone with Internet access can take courses from more than 200 colleges and universities in the SREB region.

What:     The program is the nation’s largest and most successful electronic marketplace of distance learning courses.

When:     People anywhere in the world with Internet access can take college and university courses when they want to ... on their schedule ... from their homes or offices.

Where:     The Web site is www.electroniccampus.org.

Courses:     More than 2,000 accredited courses and 75 degree programs are offered. You have the opportunity to learn a skill, earn college credits for certification, or earn a degree.   

More Information:     Contact Bracey Campbell at the Southern Regional Education Board, bracey.campbell@sreb.org. Or call (404) 875-9211.

To order a hard copy of this or any other SREB publication, call (404) 875-9211, Ext. 236 or email publications@sreb.org.