In cooperation with UW-Extension, UW-Platteville's Extended Degree Program (EDP) in Business Administration has taken the leap from print-based to web-based delivery. For nearly twenty years, EDP's correspondence courses, enhanced by audio and video technology, have offered busy adults an alternative to face-to-face instruction for earning a business degree. Very soon, however, this degree will be available on line. By offering courses on the Internet, EDP can increase the speed, flexibility and reach of its education. Another advantage of the Internet is the ability to retain the anytime anywhere feature of print-based instruction and EDP's students are still within the terms of their contract, able to study at their own time and pace.

Using the Lotus Notes' LearningSpace program, EDP instructors have adapted their courses to a format specifically designed for the Internet. The first course, BsAd 233, Organization and Management On Line, is scheduled to be on line March 1, with other courses just around the corner. These courses include: Introduction to American Business Enterprise, Human Resource Management, and Principles of Microeconomics.

A very helpful feature that other UW-Platteville distance education courses will adopt is a student information package with information to help demystify the experience of taking a course on line. It includes, e.g., notes about computer system requirements, a description of LearningSpace and a greeting from the instructor.

Many institutions offer web-based courses. EDP is proud to be able to offer a complete degree on line in the near future. Through the Internet, the potential audience is vast, and EDP is looking forward to a new era in offering flexible courses to adult learners all over the world.