THE 21st CENTURY STUDENT
by Jack Johnson

(This is the fifth in a series of articles intended to provide WASFAA membership with a working knowledge of Distance Learning.)

Is there a way for us to determine the needs of students in the 21st Century? What are their expectations? How will they study? What kind of support systems will they need? Answers to these questions lie with new electronic processes which provide options that are just now becoming available. These options will provide access to students, who for many reasons are unable to enter post-secondary education in the traditional manner, especially those students who desire to receive instruction from a distance.

Lets look at some recent trends and see if perhaps we can better visualize the student of the future, and the college or university that he or she will attend. One of the basic concepts of Project EASI is to "reinvent the financial aid process" so that it becomes a student-centered system. The focus nationally will be on student-level data and this in turn will provide us with the student centered financial aid process - A process that will allow students greater access and more control of their financial aid.

Another concept of Project EASI is the existence of a common origination and payment process, with common data standards. The descriptive term for this process is EDI (Electronic Data Interchange). EDI consists of sets of data referred to as transaction sets. These sets of data will allow student data to flow freely throughout the various student support systems, including colleges and universities, the student loan industry, and of course the Department of Education. The current barriers created by discriminating or disconnected electronic systems or processes will disappear.

As a result, the new Recipient Finance Management System (RFMS) for PELL grant disbursement can now be activated. It is scheduled for implementation in the 1999-2000 academic year. Because the EDI process is a reality, other pilot programs are being put in place that ultimately will allow students to access their financial aid with debit cards. While the RFMS "Just in Time" Pilot Program will use invoices for disbursing the Pell Grant, such projects as Access America and Pepper (Project EASI Partnership Pilots for Electronic Reengineering) will be testing the student debit card as a means for disbursing the Pell Grant, and the Stafford Loan Program.

Moving the focus from students to colleges and universities, the Department of Education forwarded a draft notice on December 8, 1998, inviting institutions to apply for participation in the Distance Education Demonstration Program. Participating institutions that provide distance education programs may receive waivers of specific statutory and regulatory provisions that govern title IV financial assistance programs. If approved for this program, institutions will be able to offer their entire curriculum at a distance, and retain their eligibility to participate in title IV programs. The requirement that no more than 50 percent of an institution's courses can offered through telecommunications is waived for institutions accepted in this program. Simply put, this will allow accepted institutions that are "Virtual" to provide "Virtual" students with Title IV financial aid.

For the purpose this Demonstration Program "distance education" is defined as an educational process that is characterized by the separation, in time or place, between instructor and student. Of course, we currently have many students taking courses in a traditional manner from a "local" college, but are completing an education program offered by a distant college or university. Hopefully, the definition in the final notice can include consortium that offers "all or part of their program" characterized by the separation in time or place, between the instructor and student.

The Department of Education requested comments regarding this draft notice, and held a meeting on January 13 for Washington DC based education associations to gain input. It is hoped that a final notice can be published on February 1. Colleges and University will have until April 1 to apply for acceptance into this Demonstration Program. If this project is successful, it will be expanded the following year.

Of course, not all new electronic initiatives are directed towards distance learning. However, it is difficult to imagine a new electronic process that will not compliment the needs of distance learners. The recently announced products offered by the loan industry, including the loan application on the Web, are great initiatives that will serve both the traditional student as well as the distance learner. Support services within the profession are working hard to keep abreast of the changes that are generated by new electronic processes.

With these trends in mind, it is predictable that the future student will have more educational opportunities, and more control over his or her educational destiny. The "virtual classroom" will be attended by students "any time - any place". It is also predictable that increased access will provide opportunities for institutions to expand programs and increase enrollment. Institutions will have the capability to offer programs that can be accessed "any time - any place". These phenomena may reduce budget constraints and growth restrictions inherited within "campus walls". The focus will be on the student.

In conclusion, the future student and the college or university that he or she will attend has great potential. The financial aid profession is capable of insuring that this potential is realized.