In that spirit, the Policy
Laboratory adopted the following
four guiding principles surrounding
student services for distance
learners:
• The distance learning
environment, which places a greater
responsibility for learning on the
student, requires specialized
services to support the learning
process.
• The provision of online,
flexible services benefits both on-
and off-campus students, as well as
institutional efficiency.
• Collaboration pools resources,
saves costs, and reduces duplication
to provide a greater depth and
breadth of services. Collaboration
on both state and regional levels
can achieve economies of scale that
no single institution could maintain
alone.
• A learner-centered customer
relationship management model is
fundamental to ensuring that
instructional activities and support
services truly meet student needs.
Additionally, within these
guiding principles, the SREB Student
Services Subcommittee offered 11
solid recommendations for distance
educators to consider when
developing student services for
online learners.
To access a downloadable PDF file
of the 49-page "Anytime, Anyplace
Services for the 21st Century
Student" report, visit
