WHEREAS, distance education is a means by which students may take challenging academic courses from their homes or schools by interacting online with an instructor and other students in a web-based forum; and

WHEREAS, earning credits at accredited institutions on the mainland and in other countries is another method through which Hawaii students may gain valuable learning experiences; and

WHEREAS, absent from the Department of Education's web page is information on how students may take advantage of distance education opportunities to earn Department of Education credit; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2006, that the Department of Education is requested to include on its web site information regarding distance learning options for students to earn Department of Education credit;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Education is requested to specify on its web site the procedures through which students may access distance education opportunities for credit, including an outline of the administrative procedures necessary for credit approval; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Education is requested to report to the Legislature its progress in complying with this Resolution at least twenty days before the convening of the Regular Session of 2007; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Superintendent of Education and the Chairperson of the Board of Education.

Report Title:

Education; Distance Learning