The purpose of this study was to investigate why small, private, four-year liberal arts colleges implement off-campus credit programs. The focus of the research was to determine the factors responsible for offering off-campus programs in some institutions, while in others, no attempts were made to offer similar programs.
Survey research was the primary method used in the study. Twenty-five colleges which were members of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) and which had off-campus programs were paired with an equal number of non-participating colleges based on size, tuition costs and affiliation. Data were gathered from NCES and SACS reports, current college catalogs and from self-designed questionnaires. A response rate above 90 percent was recorded for the mailed questionnaires.
The Chi-Square test of relationship, T-test, and ANOVA techniques were used to analyze the data. All analyses were evaluated at the .05 level of significance.
Data analysis for participating colleges suggested:
(1) Off-campus programs were relatively new, with a majority (87 percent) having been established over the past ten years;
(2) Small, private, liberal-arts colleges were adapting their missions to allow them to serve a new clientele.
(3) The primary leadership within the colleges for the initiation and continuation of off-campus programs were the presidents, deans and the governing boards. A declining enrollment was indicated as a primary reason for going off campus; and
(4) The groups being served most often off campus were managers, public school teachers, ministers, accountants, law enforcement personnel, and those seeking a Baccalaureate degree.
The analysis of the data between the participating and non-participating colleges showed:
(1) The participating colleges experienced more growth than the non-participating group. This modest growth could be traced to off-campus enrollments;
(2) Both groups of colleges had a similar curriculum, but a statistically significant difference existed for the degree in education. The participating colleges had a larger number of institutions with a degree in education;
(3) The participating colleges' mission statements evidenced a more serious commitment to serving the broader community through educational opportunities than did the non-participating group;
(4) A statistically significant difference existed between the two groups regarding the sources of revenue, Federal appropriations, grants and contracts and total revenues. The non-participating group received more revenues from these non-tuition sources;
(5) A statistically significant difference existed for the expenditure categories of academic support, library support, and operations and maintenance; and
(6) No statistical difference was found between the groups for faculty or transportation characteristics or in the number of competitors for off-campus credit programs. / Ed. D. / incomplete_metadata
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VTETD/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/50012 |
| Date | January 1986 |
| Creators | Ely, Roy Winston |
| Contributors | Adult and Continuing Education, Atwell, Charles A., Bell, Norris H., Fortune, Jimmie C., Morgan, Samuel D., Stubblefield, Harold |
| Publisher | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University |
| Source Sets | Virginia Tech Theses and Dissertation |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Dissertation, Text |
| Format | xi, 186 leaves, application/pdf, application/pdf |
| Rights | In Copyright, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
| Relation | OCLC# 14509600 |
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