Administering Distance Education Programs: Current Challenges and Solutions

Abstract

In response to then Security of Defense William Cohen's challenge to revolutionize defense business affairs and to accelerate the delivery of sophisticated defense systems that increase the effectiveness of our forces, the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) began a journey into the delivery of graduate systems engineering distributed education program. This report focuses on an outreach approach to delivering the content of these programs to Navy laboratories and other facilities rather than having students seek the school as a provider. Given these challenges, unique strategies had to be developed for program development and delivery. This report will concentrate on two graduate systems engineering programs that are delivered by multiple configurations of blended approaches to distance education. The authors have served as program managers for these programs and have gathered lessons learned over eleven-years.