Harold Washington College is one of 60 schools nationally in a new program with the Public Broadcasting System that will offer adults a chance to complete an associate of arts degree by television.
Called “Going the Distance,” the program is targeted at adult students who for one reason or another aren’t able to attend classes on campus. Adult students who are usually 25 or older represent a growing portion of college enrollments.
Many community and four-year colleges allow students to receive credits for instruction they receive by viewing course material on television.
But a PBS spokesman said the new program is the first to allow students to complete an entire associate degree by TV. Going the Distance is expected to appeal to students with day-care difficulties and people whose work schedules don’t permit them to attend classes.
Harold Washington, one of the seven campuses of the City Colleges of Chicago, is the only Illinois school participating in the program, which starts this fall, said the PBS spokesman.
PBS programming is used for television learning. Broadcast programs like “The Civil War” and “Eyes on the Prize” have been assigned for years by teachers as part of the required viewing in courses.
PBS also provides programming by satellite that schools use in teaching areas such as math and the sciences.
Harold Washington is extensively involved in what educators call “distance learning.” For years, it has provided video courses to U.S. military personnel in Europe, the U.S. and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, that allow them to receive college credits.
