SUNY Learning Network

Distance Learning Program

Albany, New York

DISTANCE LEARNING PROGRAM

Students can study, take classes, and complete entire degree programs at any time and from any place. For those who find it difficult to adjust their schedule or commute to a campus, the SUNY Learning Network offers a new approach to teaching and learning that eliminates the constraints of time and location that higher education normally places on students.

The SUNY Learning Network now offers more than 3,000 online courses with more than 50,000 statewide, national, and international student enrollments. The online courses are designed and taught by State University of New York faculty members at the fifty-three participating SUNY institutions located around the state. Online courses are available to degree-seeking students or to students who simply want to take courses for personal or professional development (nonmatriculating students). In addition to online courses, there are more than forty-five online degree programs now available entirely through the World Wide Web. The consortium, which began in fall 1995 with just four courses, continues to evolve and expand each academic year.

DELIVERY MEDIA

In an online college course through the SUNY Learning Network, the instructor and the students are connected to each other through the Internet. Using the Internet, students can at any time receive instruction, compose and submit assignments, ask questions of the instructor and other students, discuss issues, and actively participate in the class—all from their home, office, or the nearest campus computer lab. Depending on the faculty member and the discipline, courses may also incorporate other Web-based materials, textbooks, application software, simulations, and even learning activities outside of the Internet, such as experiments, observations, or other projects. Students are welcome to see a sample SLN course located on the SLN Web site listed below.

To participate in an SLN course, students need access to a computer having the minimum of a Pentium processor; 64 MB of RAM; a 56K baud modem; a PPP/SLIP Internet connection to the World Wide Web; a Web browser that supports file attachments; an Internet e-mail account that accepts re-directed mail and does not block Internet mail messages; and access to a word processor with the capability to save files in the Microsoft Word 6.0 (or higher) file format. Macintosh users must have System 8 or higher.

PROGRAMS OF STUDY

Many of the SUNY campuses participating in SLN offer complete degree programs through the SUNY Learning Network. Online degree programs are available in many disciplines at the associate, baccalaureate, and graduate levels. The SUNY Learning Network is not a separate degree-granting institution. Students need to matriculate at one of the SUNY campuses and work with their adviser on their home campus to make sure they fulfill the requirements of the degree program. For more information on the more than thirty-five online degree programs offered through SLN, students should visit the SLN Web site.

Students can also earn credits by combining traditional on-campus courses and distance learning studies from the colleges participating in the SUNY Learning Network.

The SUNY Learning Network (SLN) is a growing consortium, currently with more than fifty campuses in the State University of New York System that have joined together to offer graduate and undergraduate online courses. Many of the SUNY campuses now offer complete online degree programs through the SUNY Learning Network. Online degree programs are available in many disciplines at the associate, baccalaureate, and graduate levels.

State University of New York campuses participating in the SUNY Learning Network are fully accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.

The SUNY Learning Network is a constituent organization within the Office of Advanced Learning and Information Services and the Office of the Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs.

SPECIAL PROGRAMS

The State University of New York General Education Requirement requires baccalaureate degree candidates to complete no fewer than 30 credit hours in ten core subject areas. Each campus creates its own set of core courses using guidelines established by the Provost's Task Force on General Education. Many courses that satisfy the General Education requirements are available through the SUNY Learning Network.

STUDENT SERVICES

The SUNY Learning Network Helpdesk is available seven days a week to answer students' technical questions and to assist students throughout the semester as they complete their courses.

CREDIT OPTIONS

While students should always check with their adviser, credits earned in the SLN program are typically transferable. Students can also earn credits by combining traditional on-campus courses and distance learning studies from the colleges participating in the SUNY Learning Network.

FACULTY

Online courses offered through SLN are designed and taught by State University of New York faculty members on staff at the participating SUNY institutions located around the state of New York.

ADMISSION

Admission into degree programs offered through the SUNY Learning Network is handled directly by the individual SUNY campus that offers the degree program. Campus contact information is available on the SLN Web site.

TUITION AND FEES

Tuition costs vary depending on campus, course level, and residency status. For detailed information on tuition costs for the campuses participating in SLN, students should visit the SLN Web site.

FINANCIAL AID

Students should contact the financial aid office on their home campus regarding information on financial aid before registering for an SLN course.

CONTACT

Students should visit the SUNY Learning Network Web site at http://SLN.suny.edu for the most up-to-date information on hundreds of courses, online degree programs, semester dates, tuition, and books and materials and to view a sample SUNY Learning Network course.
For additional questions, students may also call the SLN office at 518-443-5331 or 800-875-6269 (toll-free).

APPLYING

For complete instructions on how to apply and register for courses offered through the SUNY Learning Network, students should visit the SLN Web site.