Innovation in education is a gauntlet thrown in the path of accepted practice. To people searching for hope and inspiration, innovation feeds the imagination and offers the promise of a better world: to those intent on protecting their own vision, innovation is an unwelcome intrusion to be opposed at all cost. [Innovation and Reform: Conflicts within Educational Change, Cactus Press NY 1992, Samuel Mitchell]

According to Ms. Carole Redline and Ms. Lauren Hoehn (doctoral candidates, ITE, 2000) “Today, at this moment, we are in the midst of a technological revolution. This phenomenon which produced the information revolution affects every aspect of our lives. But perhaps the most profound effects of this era brought about by instructional technology can be seen most clearly in the current evolution of education.

“For nearly two hundred and fifty years traditional education remained virtually unchanged, but not today. No longer can curriculum or the dispensing of knowledge within the bounds of four walls impart an adequate education. Rather, that goal must be to instil a love of learning that will last a lifetime. For such an important concept to become a reality the acceptance of different educational tools must take place. Perhaps that is why the number of institutions considering the benefits of Distance Education (DE) increases exponentially every-year. The importance of encouraging educational opportunities that can take place anytime, anywhere is no longer a dream but a reality.

“Furthermore, those who consider the ramifications of the information revolution must realise that no one learning facility can possibly hold all the keys to knowledge. Today collaboration and sharing of information not only across the United States but also throughout the world is the norm rather than the exception. With such benefits comes the proliferation of knowledge that grows and changes almost daily making learning a lifelong process not an episode that can be accomplished in any one school during any set period of time. Indeed, learning is a necessity for living in today’s world that all should have access to regardless of their station in life or age.

“For us, a mother and a grown daughter living twenty miles apart this axiom is a reality in our lives as we work collaboratively toward learning more about instructional technology and distance education. For us learning is not passive but rather dynamic, an individual plan meeting the needs of the reality of our lives. In fact, neither of us would be on this path toward a Ph.D. had we not found the option of distance education offered by Greenwich University.

“One of us is employed full time in a demanding environment with an even fuller life encompassing family, hobbies and a passion for many recreations. And for the other being the mother of newborn twins places demands upon her time that were not even conceivable a few months ago. Such responsibilities would never afford the opportunity to continue our learning much less seek a degree in a traditional university.

“But with the options available to us at Greenwich University, we can continue to learn and grow and dream of a day when we will be able to facilitate more distance education opportunities for others, the innovators who are able to embrace the ideals of change and excellence.”

STATEMENT OF NEED
A program in Distance Education/Instructional Technology is needed in any well-balanced university setting to provide insight into the various aspects of education that are available to the student of the 21^st Century. At present, there are over 1,700 universities that offer distance learning. DE has existed for many years. Schools in England and Europe have offered DE opportunities for many years. With the “Instructional Age and the use of computer technology, society has and will dramatically and permanently modify the flow of information and knowledge in our nations and the world.” All avenues of education are being affected by computer technology, i.e. - video conferencing, audio/visual instruction, e-mail class work assignments, and the asynchronous environment technology. “The information age will also increase the number and variety of students, not separated by political boundaries, but by geography and distance. Therefore, any new educational system must have a foundation of distributed technology and the goal of providing an education to all students, regardless of their locale. This ability to convey ideas across the country and the world will surely mark effective schools from ineffectual ones. Distance Education will bring "education" into the information age and the millennium” (Dr. Bruce Niedrauer).

PROGRAM OBJECTIVES
I am entirely certain that twenty years from now we will look back at education as it is practised in most schools today and wonder that we could have tolerated anything so primitive. [John W. Gardner]

This program provides students with several objectives that will be of personal and professional benefit. The instructor strives throughout the program to:

PROGRAM AUDIENCE
This study is designed to meet the scholarly, business, and personal needs of educators, administrators, industry leaders, military officers and others that respond effectively to direction and can function in an independent environment. A student entering this program is mature, self-directed, independently motivated, confident, and goal oriented. The program is appropriate for distance educators at all levels of education systems, worldwide. It will also serve the needs of human resource managers, corporate trainers and consultants, advertising and promotion specialists and manpower development experts.

www.greenwich.edu