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Increasing access to Washington State University (WSU) academic programs has become one of the institution’s primary objectives. With WHETS, branch campuses, Distance Degree Programs, and Learning Centers, the university has moved aggressively to meet this objective. As the state’s workforce training needs shift to accommodate new industries and new dynamics of the workplace, and as demographic changes challenge higher education to serve an increasing number of traditional and non-traditional students, WSU is being called upon to develop and deliver an ever widening array of programs to both established and emerging constituencies.

In 1991 the Social and Economic Sciences Research Center (SESRC) at WSU conducted a needs assessment that showed that of the 2.6 million people in Washington who had attended some college, less than 50 percent had earned a degree at the associate’s level or above. Of those without degrees, approximately 1.1 million individuals indicated an interest in pursuing a baccalaureate degree through distance education. The flexibility of a distance education program was cited as the primary reason for indicating interest. In 1992 the Higher Education Coordinating Board (HECB) approved WSU’s request to offer a distance learning degree-completion program, leading to a BA in Social Sciences, to students in four rural Washington communities. The focus was to provide access to upper-division higher education for Washington students unable to attend courses on a campus because of professional and/or family responsibilities in their home communities.

A year later the program was expanded to twenty-two communities, and in March 1995 the HECB approved its extension to students throughout the state and nationally. In spring 1997 the WSU Faculty Senate and Regents and the HECB approved two additional extended degrees: a BA in Business and a BA in Human Development. Extended degrees in criminal justice, applied biology, and agriculture are also under development for delivery at a distance. Staff in the Office of Distance Degree Programs at Washington State University coordinates all extended programs in conjunction with faculty in the academic departments.

The average age of participants in Distance Degree Programs has been 36 years; a majority of students have been women, and over 90 percent of all DDP students study part-time as they balance the multiple responsibilities of family and work with their education. Courses supporting Distance Degree Programs are delivered in a variety of distance learning formats, including videotape, CD-ROM, the Internet, satellite, and print. Interaction between faculty and students, and among students, is supported by voice-mail, computer e-mail, and the Internet. Both semester-based and flexible enrollment courses are offered. Semester-based courses typically have a technology-mediated component, with an expanded course guide, and must be started and completed during one academic semester. Flexible enrollment courses are primarily print-based and allow students to register at any time; students have one calendar year to complete them.

This report provides assessment data for fall 1996 through summer 1998, the fifth and sixth years that the BA in Social Sciences extended program was available to students. Previous reports have assessed the second year (fall 1993 through summer 1994) and the third and fourth years of the program (fall 1994 through summer 1996). Because the other Distance Degree Programs had just begun at the end of this time period, the current report focuses only on the first extended program, the BA in Social Sciences.

The BA in Social Sciences degree completion program is interdisciplinary. With the consultation of their advisers, students design individual curricula according to their own interests within major and minor areas of concentration. Unlike professional degree programs (e.g., engineering, pharmacy), it is not possible to prescribe the specific courses each student will take or to assess particular content knowledge in the extended BA in Social Sciences. The assessment of student outcomes, therefore, focuses on requirements within the program and on groups of courses that have projected outcomes.

In broad terms, the outcomes anticipated for an interdisciplinary degree, on-campus as well as off-campus, are that students will gain content knowledge from the courses in which they enroll, increase their analytical and critical thinking abilities, and become more capable of perceiving the broader picture and integrating a variety of perspectives into their understanding of the world.

Table 1 lists desirable program outcomes and areas in which faculty involved in the BA Social Sciences program believe those outcomes occur. The areas include General Education and Writing in the Major requirements, BA in Social Sciences course requirements, electives, College of Liberal Arts requirements, and General Studies Portfolio requirements.

The program’s success in meeting these goals was assessed during the summer and fall 1998 semesters with the evaluation form revised as of the summer 1998 semester (see Appendix II, questions 12–20, Personal Improvement); the evaluation form used in the fall 1996 through fall 1997 semesters did not include questions regarding outcomes. All students enrolled in semester-based courses received evaluation forms. Questions 12 through 20 asked students to rate the contribution of the particular course in which they were enrolled toward meeting these outcomes. As Table 2 shows, on the whole students rated the courses’ contributions highly. On a five point Likert scale, where 1=strongly disagree and 5=strongly agree, mean scores were 3.7 or above, showing students felt their courses contributed to their personal growth "more" or "much more" than most courses.

Examination of student achievement is another method that may be used to evaluate student outcomes. Grades received by students enrolled in the same DDP and WSU campus courses, taught by the same faculty member or teaching assistant in each location, were compared using t-tests or one-way ANOVAs, as appropriate, with follow up Scheffe tests. Achievement comparisons were possible for 58 classes taught between fall 1996 and summer 1998 (Table 3). Average grades for all courses were calculated on a four-point scale, where A equals four. In most cases there were no significant differences between the performance of distance and on-campus students. However, seventeen significant differences were found, and, in sixteen of those seventeen, DDP students outperformed their on-campus counterparts.

As Table 4 demonstrates, enrollments in Distance Degree Programs video courses have continued to increase significantly each year. As would be expected, summer enrollments are lower than those in fall and spring. Percentages of non-resident students have ranged from 20 percent to 29 percent, with the exception of the first semester (fall 1992) the program was offered. Most students take two courses per semester, and, during 1996 through 1998, enrollments per course averaged between 28 and 40 students.

Table 5 provides data about enrollments in semester-based courses. Three courses, Anth/W St 316, Gender and Culture; H D 301, Families in Crisis; and Psych/Soc 350, Social Psychology, draw the highest enrollments. Since the beginning of the program, Gender and Culture has consistently been students’ favorite course, and since Families in Crisis has been offered, it, too, has become a favorite.

Enrollment numbers for semester-based courses and the numbers of graduates by county are presented in Table 6. Within Washington, enrollments and graduates are highest in Clallam County (29 graduates), where WSU has been offering programs since 1990 and where there are a high number of dislocated timber/fishery workers. Not surprisingly, enrollments are also high in King, Pierce, Snohomish, and Spokane Counties where there are higher population densities. Enrollments have increased dramatically in Grays Harbor County with the education courses being offered there. After Clallam County, the largest numbers of graduates are in Grays Harbor (15), Stevens County (15), and King County (13); a number of out-of-state students have also graduated (57).

The revised evaluation form asked students to describe their technology access (Appendix II, questions 35–37). (No questions related to technology access were asked on the earlier form.) As Table 7 shows, more than three-quarters of students have access to a computer at home for course-related work; few have access anywhere else. Nearly three-quarters would use a computer for DDP coursework to prepare assignments, and nearly two-thirds would use a computer to submit coursework if they were able. Students feel quite knowledgeable about their ability to use voice mail and a word processor, but they feel less knowledgeable about using e-mail, searching the web, and sending/receiving files via the Internet. DDP staff has been working with students to improve their abilities in using these Internet-based technologies and will redouble its efforts during the next few semesters.

The same intermediate assessment procedures used for all WSU students to evaluate writing skills are also used for DDP students. First, in accordance with the campus writing-across-the-curriculum requirements, students must satisfactorily complete two Writing in the Major [M] courses. Sixteen courses offered through distance learning formats are available as [M] courses: B Law 414x, Law of Real Estate; Crm J/Pol S 405 Comparative Criminal Justice Systems; Engl 402, Technical and Professional Writing; Fin 427x, Investments and Security Analysis; Hist/W St 398x, History of Women in the American West; H D 302, Parent-Child Relationships; H D 350, Diversity in Contemporary Families; H D 410, Public Policy Issues Impacting Families and Individuals (under development); H D 420, Application of Human Development Theories; Hum 303, Reason, Romanticism, and Revolution; I Bus 380, International Business; NATRS 450, Conservation Biology (under development); Mgt 401, Leadership Skills for Managers; Phil/Asia 315x, Philosophies and Religions of China and Japan; Soc 364, Law and Society; Sp Com 324, Argumentation. (Those courses with an "x" after the course number are offered as "flexible enrollment courses" through correspondence study.) DDP advisers monitor students’ programs carefully to ensure this requirement is being met.

Second, consistent with university policy, all transfer students must complete a writing portfolio and have it evaluated. This general education requirement became effective for students who began their undergraduate studies in fall 1991. The University Writing Portfolio consists of two impromptu timed essays and three pieces of academic writing completed for assignments in three different college courses. The teacher of the course must sign off on the three essays as being "acceptable" or "outstanding." They may be library or lab research papers, reviews or critiques, technical reports, proposals, essays, case studies, fictional stories, student self-evaluations, or any other significant course writing assignment.

A trained corps of university faculty who represent the full range of academic disciplines reads each completed portfolio. Portfolios are judged as a "Pass," "Pass with Distinction," or "Needs Work." Students who receive a "Needs Work" on their portfolio are assigned further coursework in composition that they must pass in order to fulfill their University Writing Portfolio graduation requirement. Students who earn a "Pass" or "Pass with Distinction" have this rating entered into their official transcript. Beginning spring 1996, the five best portfolios submitted during the year are each awarded a scholarship of $100. a DDP student submitted one of the five best portfolios for the 1997–1998 academic year.

DDP staff advises all distance education students when to begin the portfolio process and has modified the procedures used to include off-campus students. The first step begins with mailing the portfolio packet to the student. Once the student has collected three papers and obtained the respective professor’s signatures on the cover sheets, s/he returns the packet to DDP office along with the fee and a completed proctor nomination form. A blue book and writing prompt is sent to the nominated proctor who administers the timed writing to the student. The proctor then returns the blue book to the DDP office where it is logged in and forwarded to the Writing Portfolio readers. After evaluation, the student is informed of the status.

DDP staff continues to work with various experts on the WSU Pullman campus to devise a strategy for valid and reliable end of program assessment. In the meantime, students must complete a minimum of 39 credits in social sciences of which 18 may be lower-division and 21 must be upper-division credits. To graduate, students must earn a grade point average of 2.0 not only in all their course work but also in each of the classes taken in their major and minor areas of concentration.

The extended BA in Social Sciences program is identical in terms of requirements to that offered on the WSU Pullman, Tri-Cities, and Vancouver campuses. Faculty who have developed and teach the courses are the same as those who teach on campus; in fact, the great majority are tenured associate or full professors who are considered WSU’s most outstanding teachers.

Several different sources of information provide data to evaluate the program. They include data on effectiveness of instruction as judged by students, students’ motivation for continuing their education, effectiveness of student services as judged by students, faculty satisfaction, and involvement of the Academic Advisory Committee.

Data concerning student perception of faculty instruction were collected by sending each enrolled student an evaluation form for each course at semester’s end. The same form used since the inception of the program was used to collect the fall 1996 through fall 1997 data (Appendix I). Responses to questions A1–A8 (Feedback on Courses) are provided in Table 8. During all four semesters, the majority of students gave positive feedback on the courses in which they were enrolled. Responses from students across all courses show that the means were regularly above 4 (4=agree, 5=strongly agree); the medians consistently were 5, with one exception of 4 in spring 1997. In addition, as responses to question D5 indicate, the great majority of students would take another DDP video course.

Students’ replies to the 11 questions about faculty instructional practices, questions 1–11 of the revised evaluation form (spring and summer 1998, Appendix II) are presented in Table 9. When responses from all DDP students in semester-based courses are examined, mean responses were 4.0 or higher (4=agree, 5=strongly agree); median responses, with one exception, were 5. In Table 10, student’s responses about their experience with the course (Part III) and their Overall Impression of the Course (Part IV) are shown. Again, overall results show students were, for the most part, very positive. All median responses were 4 or 5; in both spring and summer 1998 students’ lowest response was to the question "I sought additional information for this course from resources in my community" (3.5 in spring, 3.4 in summer).

Both evaluation forms asked students their motivation for taking the course in which they enrolled. Results for students enrolled in fall 1996 through fall 1997 are provided in Table 11. Questions C1–4 offer similar information to questions asked on the revised evaluation form. Means ranged from 3.2–3.7 (3=neither agree nor disagree) to the response "I wanted to take a course for career advancement." The highest rating was given to the response "The course fits within my plan of study for a degree." Mean responses were above 4 to "I was interested in the course topic" and "I wanted to broaden my personal knowledge base." Responses to the last three questions about the importance of convenience factors as reasons for taking DDP courses ranged from 4.4 to 4.7.

Results from the revised form (spring and summer 1998) are shown in Table 12 (question 44). In both spring and summer, more than 80 percent of students reported they took the course to fulfill a requirement; nearly 50 percent said they took the course "to satisfy a personal interest." Fewer than one-fifth took a course to improve their employment opportunities.

Both versions of the evaluation form asked students their perception of support system effectiveness. Students enrolled in the earlier semesters (Table 13) said they received course and registration information and their textbooks in a timely manner (mean responses ranged from 4.4 to 4.8). Responses to question B4 about voice mail were also very positive. All medians were 5, but means were slightly lower in fall 1996 and fall 1997 when students did not rate the system as highly in facilitating communication among their classmates. Students were less positive about the library support they received (mean 3.8 to 4.2) and about quick return of their assignments (mean 3.8 to 4.0). Helping students learn to prepare their assignments on a computer and then transmit them as files via the Internet should help to improve assignment turnaround time.

Students enrolled in spring and summer 1998 (Table 14) were very positive about the support given them by DDP staff and advisers, and most said they received their course materials in a timely manner. Ratings for the two questions about library support were less strong, but the means were still 3.8 or higher.

Staff believes students’ lower ratings of library support are due to their lack of knowledge of the assistance available to them. This will be an area of emphasis during the next several semesters. (See the later section of this report concerning Library Services for additional information.)

To date, feedback from faculty about their experience and satisfaction with the DDP has been continuous, but mostly informal. DDP’s Student and Faculty Services Coordinator works closely with faculty and course graders and passes along their concerns and comments to the program administrators and student advisers, as appropriate. Other DDP staff members interact with faculty in a variety of venues and gather feedback first- and second-hand from those who teach various DDP courses.

In spring 1997, the Associate Dean of the College of Liberal Arts scheduled focus groups with all WSU faculty teaching DDP courses. In general faculty were very satisfied with student support services and with the quality of student work, but expressed concern about the number of students who fail to complete their coursework in a timely manner. DDP academic advisers emphasize to students the importance of taking a reasonable number of courses each semester and of completing assignments on schedule. In addition, DDP staff contacts all new students by telephone during the second and third week of classes to be sure they have no problems with materials and that they understand when assignments are due. During the fifth week, DDP staff calls and reminds any student who has not submitted any assignments to send in work as soon as possible.

Faculty were also concerned about the number of incomplete grades they assign. Table 15 provides an analysis of incompletes received by students enrolled in DDP courses. When the percentage of incompletes earned at the end of the on-campus semester (column four, Incompletes as Percent of Enrollments) is examined, the percentages appear high. By two weeks after the end of the semester, the figures have dropped dramatically, suggesting that the high figures at the end of the semester are due to final assignments and exams being received later, probably because of mail delays. Finally, at the end of 75 weeks (students have one year from the end of the semester during which they were enrolled in a course to earn a grade for an incomplete), the percentages of incompletes for the great majority of courses, as shown in the last column, appear to be comparable to the rate in on-campus classes.

From the beginning of the program in 1992, a faculty advisory committee has guided DDP on issues and policies related to academics. This is in keeping with the programmatic and administrative structure of WSU, which is based on the principle that academic aspects of all programs are the responsibility of the faculty and the academic department.

The committee is chaired by the Associate Dean, College of Liberal Arts, and includes membership from each college offering extended courses. Current membership includes:

Issues addressed by the committee include those involving faculty, course and program design, and student learning. For example, the following topics have been discussed in the recent past: perceived proliferation of incomplete grades; simultaneous enrollment of distance and campus-based students in extended courses; overall program quality control; intellectual property issues; use of extended course materials for non-credit applications; soliciting program feedback from faculty; departmental commitment/concern for flexible enrollment courses; shortening the course schedule for summer session; library services for extended students; new course development decisions; update on Western Governors University; meeting needs of disabled students; reinstatement procedures; turnaround time on feedback to students; implications of the need to offer courses each semester; implications of state funding on extended programs; TOEFL policy applied to extended students; providing references for DDP students applying to graduate schools.

As of summer 1998, DDP students can choose from 44 semester-based courses, with preproduced video, an expanded course guide, and voice-mail or e-mail interaction; three of those are entirely online. Nearly 100 flexible enrollment courses, formerly called correspondence courses, are also available. Two science lab courses have been developed: Bio S 105, Biological Science Lab, a semester-based course, satisfies university general education requirements for a biological sciences laboratory; Geol 101x, Introduction to Geology, a flexible enrollment course, satisfies the requirement for a physical sciences laboratory. Faculty in the Colleges of Liberal Arts, Agriculture and Home Economics, Business and Economics, and Sciences have developed courses. A listing of semester-based, flexible enrollment, and online courses available through the Office of Distance Degree Programs is provided in Appendix III.

An additional seven semester-based courses were under development for spring 1999, with eight more scheduled for summer 1999.

The philosophical approach to marketing WSU’s Distance Degree Programs for the reporting period remains true to the original tenets established as the programs began in 1992. The goal has always been to develop a relationship with prospective students and continue to update program information until they enroll or determine that they are no longer interested in receiving information. While the core philosophy has remained consistent, DDP staff has continued to hone the ways in which this philosophy is operationalized.

In general, DDP enrollment activities focus on four main areas: generating inquiries; moving inquiries to applicants; assisting admitted students to become enrolled; and improving retention. While the Office of Distance Degree Programs has staff whose primary responsibilities revolve around increasing enrollments, the entire DDP office participates in the effort, especially in the retention area. The office also has three full-time academic advisers to serve DDP needs.

In addition to the DDP staff assigned to these areas, staff at WSU Learning Centers has provided significant recruitment assistance to distance education programs and the university at large. Learning Centers also present a wide array of services for distance students, which has proven very valuable and has positively impacted retention rates.

Financial aid for DDP students is available in much the same manner as for on-campus students. The application process begins with the student filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which is evaluated by the federal Department of Education central processor to determine the Estimated Family Contribution (EFC) for each student. The formula used to determine this contribution takes into account factors such as income, assets, business value, and number in family. Once the EFC is calculated, the information is transferred electronically to the institution to begin the awarding process.

To be eligible to receive financial aid, students must be admitted to WSU, registered at least halftime, and working toward a degree. Some form of financial aid, including Pell Grants, Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants, Perkins Loans, and Stafford Loans at the federal level, is available to DDP students. The Washington State Need Grant and certain other grants and waivers may also be available at the state or institutional level.

DDP students must make the same academic progress toward their degrees as their counterparts on campus. Grade point averages and course completion progress are carefully monitored to assure compliance with federal and state financial aid guidelines. Students receive information regarding rules through individual counseling by financial aid and academic advisers, mailings, newsletters, the student handbook, and access to all university World Wide Web sites.

WSU is considered a national leader in offering financial aid to distance learning students. More than fifty percent of DDP students receive financial aid to support their studies. In addition, the university has instituted procedures for establishing financial aid consortium agreements with other institutions, both within Washington and around the country, so that students can be enrolled simultaneously at more than one school. Distance learning provides a new and interesting perspective to delivery of student financial aid. The advent of new technologies, supportive administration, changing federal regulations, and helpful staff make efficient and timely delivery of student aid possible.

Much of the advising for Distance Degree Programs is done by phone, fax, voice mail, and e-mail. Calls are returned within 24 hours. The advisers guide students through the course selection process, prepare study plans for each student each semester, and act as mentors and guides through all of the paperwork that is necessary to earn a degree from WSU. We are convinced that the relationships students build with their advisers are essential to success in reaching their goals.

DDP currently has three advisers whose territories are divided geographically as follows:

1. Students within the state of Washington who reside west of the Cascades with the exception of Clark, King, and Pierce Counties;
2. Students within the state of Washington who reside east of the Cascades, residents of Clark County, and all out-of-state students except the residents of California, Arizona, and Texas;
3. Students within the state of Washington who reside in Pierce and King Counties, out-of-state students who reside in California, Arizona, or Texas, and all international students.

The advisers travel twice a year (spring and fall) within the state of Washington to give current and prospective students the opportunity for face-to-face advising.

Advertisements are placed in local newspapers beginning two weeks prior to the visits. Postcards are sent out to all active and prospective students notifying them of the locations and dates of visits. They are instructed to call the DDP office to schedule half hour advising appointments. Space is reserved in community colleges and WSU Learning Centers for the appointments. Student feedback indicates that they very much appreciate the opportunity to meet with their advisers in person.

Some of the most significant changes since the last assessment report include:

1. Growth in enrollments required the addition of a third adviser.
2. Initially advisers made three advising trips each year. They now travel twice a year but the length of time they stay in each area has had to be extended to handle the increased numbers.
3. Advisers have just recently been issued laptop computers that enable them to stay connected with the main DDP office, access their e-mail messages while on the road, and print up study plans on the spot as they advise students.

In late summer of 1996, in an effort to understand fully the ramifications of the Americans with Disabilities Act to the Distance Degree Programs, DDP staff opened a dialog with the campus-based Disabilities Resource Center (DRC). A formal process for referring current and potential DDP students to the DRC was then established and implemented.

Prior to the formalization of the referral process, the DDP had been providing informal accommodation to the students who self-reported a learning disability. This accommodation consisted primarily of allowing students additional time to complete an exam.

When the last assessment report was completed in fall of 1996, eight students had self-identified as having disabilities and two had documentation that had been evaluated by the DRC with accommodations in place.

The formal process of evaluating DDP students for disabilities mirrors, to the extent possible, the on-campus process. If students request accommodation, DDP sends them literature from the Disability Resource Center that outlines the documentation they are required to provide. Once the documentation is made available to the Center for evaluation, the information is reviewed and a determination is made. The DRC then notifies DDP of the accommodations necessary and that information is made a part of students’ permanent files. Memos are then sent to all appropriate instructors outlining the necessary accommodations. These instructor memos are sent out each semester a student is enrolled.

Students who identify themselves as having a disability do not always choose to request accommodation. Since the referral process was implemented, 48 active and/or potential students have asked for DRC information. As of this writing, 25 have been evaluated and information about the required accommodation is on file. The remaining 23 are in the evaluation process or have chosen not to seek accommodation.

The most common accommodation is still additional time (time and a half or double time) on proctored exams. Other services currently being provided to DDP students include books on tape, transcripts of videotapes, permission to use a word processor for essay exams, large print exams, use of a reader or scribe for test taking and permission to audio-tape essay test answers.

Any doubts about whether disability accommodation would be an essential part of Distance Degree Programs have been erased by the growth in this area. Close cooperation between the DRC and DDP makes managing this facet of the process possible.

DDP students who are enrolled in either semester-based or flexible enrollment courses may use the WSU library services. DDP library staff, consisting of a .5 FTE professional librarian, a 1.0 library technician, and hourly employee assistance, is located in Holland Library and are available by toll-free telephone or e-mail to answer DDP students’ questions, help with data base searches, book renewals, and other specialized assistance. Students may receive free copies of information that does not circulate, including microfilm, journal articles, and newspapers. These are sent to students first class to ensure that they receive them in a timely manner. Students are responsible for covering the cost of return postage on original materials. Library information is also available through the WSU web site (http://www.wsulibs.wsu.edu/). The number of students utilizing extended library services has increased significantly over the last five years.

In 1995 WSU library staff authored Gen Ed 300, an Internet course designed to help transfer students understand the research process. It helps them become better informed and more skilled at utilizing the necessary research tools, including online databases, in their own research projects.

The wood products and commercial fishing industries in Washington have not and, according to most forecasts, will never return to the production levels that enabled these activities to dominate the state’s economy in previous decades. The impact is statewide, but in those counties that have built their economic and social infrastructure around these industries, the impact is especially severe. Support services for these industries, which employed as many if not more individuals than actual fishing and logging operations, have been hard hit. Both underemployment and unemployment levels in natural resource impacted counties continue to be higher than the state average and have become a chronic social problem. Education is clearly one of the long-term remedies to this complex socio-economic dilemma.

Even as certain regions of the state wallow in an economic morass, in other areas jobs in some high-tech related industries cannot be filled due to a lack of qualified applicants. Thus, the need for on-going educational opportunities for dislocated workers in Washington remains strong. Studying for a degree at a distance through Washington State University’s Office of Distance Degree Programs is a viable option for many individuals in natural resource impacted counties, especially now as new degrees are being developed and deployed.

The WSU Distance Degree Programs provided natural resource waivers to a total of 56 individuals during the reporting period, an increase of seven from the previous reporting period. The extent to which the program has been able to serve this group depends almost entirely on the outreach activities undertaken by program staff and the network of supportive case workers and community college advisers that DDP staff has established.

Active DDP recruiting in natural resource impacted counties continues to be a priority for WSU. During the reporting period, program staff visited nearly every county classified as timber/fishery impacted. The standard outreach pattern includes recruiting visits occurring twice each year followed by a visit by an academic adviser. Recruiting includes on-site meetings at major employers and impacted businesses, as well as open information programs. Most counties (Clallam, Grays Harbor, Skagit, and Stevens, for example) were visited more often as a recognition of the chronic nature of the problems facing the timber and fishery industries.

As in previous years, caseworkers in public social service agencies continue to serve as front line recruiters for the tuition waiver program. Local offices have been very receptive to the program. A well understood practice of certifying individuals as eligible for tuition waivers and communicating that eligibility to WSU has been established, partly as a result of efforts undertaken by Distance Degree Programs staff. Quasi-public "timber transition centers," such as exist in Grays Harbor County and as is being established in Clallam County, are also points where dislocated timber workers and their spouses can find information about the Distance Degree Programs. These centers, established by a company in the process of closing a large production plant or with support from the state, often receive public funds in the form of grant money to keep operating. The purpose is to create a "one-stop shop" where individuals can find information about the gamut of services available to them, from education to assistance with winter heating bills.

Another group that provides great assistance to the waiver program is community college advisers. Their willingness to promote the Distance Degree Programs and waiver availability grows out of the confidence they have gained in WSU over the seven years the program has been offered. The ability to work closely with both social service agencies and community colleges has enabled potentially eligible students to greatly expand their options.

Due primarily to the way Employment Security offices are evaluated, they have a tendency to direct dislocated workers into short-term training programs that lead quickly to re-employment, even when many of those training programs result in positions that do not carry family living wages. Nevertheless, if a dislocated worker does go through such a short-term program and finds a job, his or her case is evaluated positively. As a result, community colleges have geared up to offer those programs and remain interested in maintaining enrollments. Seeing a way to ensure a high rate of return for state investments, Employment Security caseworkers advised individuals into those programs. Over the years of working closely with case workers, DDP staff has been able to demonstrate that even though the return on the investment might not be so immediate, the Distance Degree Programs can be the appropriate option for individuals with the requisite academic preparation.

During the reporting period (fall 1996–summer 1998), 56 students received tuition waivers as certified dislocated timber or fishery workers, or their spouses. As previously noted, this is an increase of seven individuals served with waivers over the previous reporting period. Thirty-five students were new to the Distance Degree Programs and 21 were continuing. Of those receiving waivers, 11 students graduated and 10 others are finalizing arrangements to graduate during the current academic year. Eighteen DDP students have been on the President’s Honor Roll.

The majority of students have continued to make progress toward their degree. Those who have dropped out of the program have had significant personal and family problems, often related to financial difficulties. For example, one student was diagnosed with cancer. During this reporting period, two students died; one was in her last semester and doing such excellent work she was awarded a degree with honors posthumously. Five students have been in the program for four to six years and have had rather uneven progress due to a variety of life situations, but they are continuing to work toward degree completion. One of these students has a learning disability as well as heavy family responsibilities but does expect to graduate within the next year. Another has completed a teacher certification program from another institution concurrently with her participation in the DDP; she also will probably graduate within the next year.

The natural resource timber waiver program is growing. More total and more new individuals were served during this reporting period than were served during the previous reporting period. These simple facts demonstrate the chronic nature of decline of these two important industries in Washington. As noted in the overview, it is doubtful that either industry will enjoy significant recovery. Coupled with the fact that new degree options are now available for students at a distance, DDP’s involvement in continuing to provide natural resource waivers will provide some remedy to devastated lives in our state.

It should also be noted that in addition to serving individuals certified as eligible for tuition waivers, DDP attracts growing numbers of other students in impacted counties. Again, this is a clear indication that extending educational opportunities to citizens around the state is both appropriate and much needed.

2/10/99