WSU's Distance Degree Program

Students attending Washington State University on the Pullman campus may think they have life made, but the ever growing Distance Degree Program is giving students another option to have it all.
DDP is WSU’s extended learning program designed to give students the opportunity to get a degree and not live in Pullman. The program used to say that they helped students who were “time and place bound,” but many students choose to live in their communities and want to further their education from there. DDP offers flexibility with online classes and degrees for students who may be traveling or have busy lives and families.
The DDP is nationally known for its excellent student services and have been invited to speak at conferences about it. “The quality of the program as a whole enhances WSU’s image. More than 2000 Washington citizens can get a degree that they couldn’t get before.” said Janet R. Kendall, Ph.D., Director of Distance Degree Programs.
DDP sets itself apart and above other school’s distance programs with the all-online program technology and with their faculty devoted solely to distance students. DDP has its own staff at WSU that keeps growing as the program grows. Some instructors teach both at WSU and through DDP, but some are only Distance instructors. DDP students get more interaction with faculty and their success is built on outcomes. Students can get a hold of Student Services when they have questions about their work, and they can get a hold of the instructor when they have questions directly related to the class.
Kendall mentioned that DDP will be growing in the future and that the new President wants to see it become a “Global Campus.” Kendall said, “This means we will increase the number of degrees and certificates that we offer and broaden the areas of study.”
Students taking online courses through DDP may never attend the Pullman campus, but many students need to leave Pullman and do not want to stop their progress in their education. “DDP allowed me to continue my education with WSU while I was at home in Seattle, so I didn’t miss a beat,” said Jade A. Sepolen, marketing major at WSU.
Many students taking DDP courses are returning to their education, other students like Sepolen attended the Pullman campus and want to take a break while still taking classes. “I like that it was flexible, I was able to work at the latte stand at any hours and still able to come do my school work anytime,” said Sepolen.
Some things Sepolen mentioned that she liked about the program were the user-friendly website and webct access, facilitating group activities with blackboard and the extra multimedia provided with certain classes. Sepolen also commented on the interaction with the faculty and instructors being very timely. “Feedback wasn’t always instant, but it was frequent.”
WSU’s Distance Degree Program can offer students an alternative to Pullman living, and can help build our campus across the nation.


Contacts:
Janet Ross Kendall, Ph.D.
Director, Distance Degree Programs
kendallj@wsu.edu
509-335-3557

Jade A. Sepolen
Student
jade_sepolen@yahoo.com
425-753-0911