School of Distributed Learning

Associate Dean: James W. Stewart, Ph.D. Mission Statement: The mission of the School of Distributed Learning is... ...to provide excellence in education through varied delivery systems for the academy of Bethany University with singular commitment to Christian values, principles and purposes as expressed in the mission of the College. Our mission is to provide excellence in non-traditional education to the Bethany University community. Non-traditional is generally defined as other than semester-long courses delivered on the main campus of Bethany University. Non-traditional academic programs are delivered in various formats such as cohort modular degree completion, distance systems, and experiential learning assessment.. We are committed to meeting our students' needs in reasonable fashion. We believe that participatory management and open communication are important factors in ensuring superior service. The quality of our services contributes to the academic and financial strength of the College and enhances its? ability to achieve teaching and public service goals through singular commitment to Christian values, principles and purposes as expressed in the mission of Bethany University. Philosophy: The philosophy that underpins the School of Distributed Learning is best described by way of metaphor, like ordering food in a cafeteria rather than a restaurant. In a restaurant, a person sits down and orders from a menu, after which the meal is brought to the table. In a cafeteria, the person chooses the meal that suits most what they are looking for at that moment. At Bethany University, we want your experience to include the choices of an academic cafeteria. This is because we know that not all people learn in the same way or at the same pace. We want you to choose not only your courses and program of study; we want you to be able to choose the way that you learn. History: The External Degree Program was developed in Spring 1992 in order to meet the growing need for innovative delivery of Bethany?s educational offerings. It was uniquely formatted and delivered as campus-based in part but with work completed primarily off-site. In 1993, the School of Continuing Education, now the School of Distributed Learning, was instituted to expand what had been started through the External Degree Program. The School of Distributed Learning is now responsible for all non-traditional delivery mechanisms at Bethany University. The School is in the midst of major developments in keeping with the College?s commitment to be as close to the cutting edge of educational delivery as possible. It is anticipated that graduate education will soon follow these non-traditional formats.

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Programs within the School of Continuing Education

Overview:

The changes to the School of Distributed Learning have been substantial over the past two years.
Prior to 2003, there was a correspondence program (External Degree Program or EDP), a Study Center in Sacramento, and a unique cohort program in Las Vegas (at that time called Bethany University Las Vegas Extension).
Since 2003, EDP was converted to an electronic delivery program (eBethany) which is on track to move to a uniform delivery system and platform within the next year or so. A new approach to cohort degree completion was implemented under the acronym APPL, or Accelerated Programs in Professional Leadership. APPL was successfully launched in San Jose in April 2004 and additional cohorts now are in place in the Monterey Bay area and in Las Vegas.

eBethany

The External Degree Program has undergone a name change from EDP to eBethany that better reflects the nature and intent of this key non-traditional program for the College. Currently the program offers courses and degrees in varied electronic formats.

Cohort/Degree Completion Programs

All cohort programs fall under the umbrella of APPL, Accelerated Programs in Professional Leadership. Currently classes are held in the Monterey Bay area, the San Jose area and in Las Vegas. APPL is a degree completion program for which courses in the major are completed in a sequence rather than concurrently. This allows adult learners to concentrate on only one course at a time while studying full-time. The major is completed in 18 months.

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Faculty

The School of Distributed Learning is unique in the academic structure at Bethany in that it is responsible for implementing delivery systems that would not be considered traditional classroom delivery. For this reason, the School of Distributed Learning does not have its own faculty nor programs, but is the delivery mechanism for all other Schools and their faculty. Members of the
faculty currently involved in teaching in the School of Distributed Learning are listed below. Others are involved in developing and implementing new courses and programs when the delivery expertise of the School of Distributed Learning is needed.

2004-05 Full-Time Faculty
Albrecht, Daniel
Anderson, Sharon
Brewer, Jimmie D.
Childs, Joseph
Garner, Funmilayo
Hulse, Mark
Kelly, Heather
Loehrer, Jennifer
Smith, Chris
Snow, William
Stach, Michael
Stewart, James H.
Stewart, James W.
Stiles, Steve
Yun, Koo