~ Keynote Address ~

The Rise of a New Educational Industry:
Lessons Learned in the Evolution of Online Education


Dr. Andy DiPaolo, Executive Director of the Stanford Center for Professional Development (SCPD), will discuss the rise of a new online education industry and the lessons learned by educational institutions and corporations involved in networked learning. He will draw upon his work in leading the SCPD, one of the largest university distance education organizations in North America, as well as his role as a consultant to universities, government organizations and corporations involved in distributed learning. His keynote will present the results of Stanford University's studies on the marketplace forces of professional and graduate education and how traditional universities as well as new "education entrepreneurs" have crafted innovative programs, practices and policies to meet the needs of changing student populations.

DiPaolo will profile Stanford Online, an award-winning, asynchronous online learning network designed to deliver educational programs to industry professionals and managers worldwide. He will also provide a vision of the future where public/private alliances, networked learning communities, intelligent tutoring, modular degrees and virtual universities will become common practices in higher education.

Under Dr. DiPaolo's leadership, the SCPD was created in 1994 at Stanford to support the education and training needs of industry professionals in the areas of engineering, computer science, information technology, management, and the sciences. Today, this large-scale educational enterprise delivers credit courses, certificate programs, graduate degree programs, professional education courses, and contract training via the internet/web, broadcast television, two-way video, multimedia, and customized courseware. In 1998 Stanford University became the first research university to offer a complete engineering master's degree online. In 2002 the SCPD will produce 10,000 hours of new educational programs in digital form for online delivery to students worldwide.

Recognized for his research, writing, and presentations in the area of media-based and distributed learning for professional and graduate education, DiPaolo sits on numerous education and industry advisory boards promoting and developing public/private partnerships as a means to create new models for education delivered online. He has provided insight and advice to educational organizations in North America, Europe, and the Pacific Rim on strategies and practices for long-term success with online learning, in implementing advanced technologies for education and training, and in the development of virtual universities.