Monday, November 12, 2001

Princeton University Pulls Out of High-Profile Distance-Learning Alliance By MICHAEL ARNONE Princeton University has pulled out of the Alliance for Lifelong Learning, a partnership with Yale and Stanford Universities and the University of Oxford to deliver distance-learning courses. Officials from Yale and the alliance said Princeton's absence would be regrettable but would not seriously affect the alliance's operations. "We're sorry to see Princeton go, but our day-to-day operations are fine," says Herbert M. Allison Jr., president and chief executive officer of the alliance. Princeton announced on Thursday that it would withdraw from the year-old partnership, which just started offering its first online courses last month. "Princeton plans to work on the development of non-proprietary technology tools that will enhance our ability to make an array of online teaching resources widely available," said Betty Leydon, vice president for information technology at Princeton, in a statement. The university will focus on creating open-source software to deliver multimedia content to classrooms, Ms. Leydon said. Princeton will also work to offer classroom and public lectures through streaming media and interactive software. Princeton's departure wasn't a surprise, said Jeffrey B. Brenzel, the executive director of the Association of Yale Alumni, who had heard rumors of the decision for the past two weeks. "Princeton ... decided to go in a new direction, and that's fine," said Richard C. Levin, the president of Yale and chairman of the alliance's board. He speculated that Princeton's recent change of presidents might have prompted the withdrawal. All 10 courses the four partners are currently offering were experiments in online learning that each had started before joining the alliance, Mr. Brenzel said. "There wasn't a theory going in on what is the way we're going to do this," he said, noting that the courses varied widely in their teaching styles and use of technology. The alliance isn't looking for another university to take Princeton's place, said Mr. Levin. The three remaining universities have more than enough resources to carry on, he said. The alliance offers noncredit courses developed by professors at its partner institutions, Mr. Allison said. Students view course material online and participate in threaded or live discussions. The alliance offers courses in literature, classics, and religion that last from several weeks to eight months. Of the 10 courses offered in the pilot phase of the project this semester, two -- "Animal Behavior" and "Walks in Rome" -- were created by Princeton professors. The alliance will continue to offer the courses for the rest of the semester, but their fate afterward is uncertain, Mr. Levin and Mr. Allison said. The four institutions had limited the pilot program that started offering courses last month to alumni who expressed interest in online learning, Mr. Allison said. So far, the response has been very enthusiastic -- of 1,500 alumni contacted, 600 enrolled in courses, double the 300 the alliance expected, he said. Yale had the highest participation, Mr. Levin said. Princeton's withdrawal won't affect participation in the courses the alliance offers, Mr. Brenzel said. "Since the program hasn't been widely announced to alumni at this point, the effect is probably negligible," he said. Right now, the courses are open to alumni, their families, and supporters of the universities, Mr. Allison said. As the alliance increases its familiarity with online pedagogy and increases its course offerings, it will widen its target audience, he said. Princeton, Yale, and Stanford formed the alliance in February 2000, and Oxford joined them in September 2000. Each institution provided $3-million, and they jointly hired Mr. Allison, a former president of Merrill Lynch and a Yale graduate, to be the chief executive officer. Easy-to-print version E-mail this article

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