Michelle Wu: “we are witnessing the birth of a new technological era. Today, our lives are connected to computers more than ever…”

“we are witnessing the birth of a new technological era. Today, our lives are connected to computers more than ever before. We have them in our homes and offices. We even have them in our cars. Today, our cars have more computing power than the Apollo spacecraft. Tomorrow, we will be even more reliant on these powerful machines. As our lives become more intertwined in technology, so does our education. Technology is transforming our colleges and universities and changing the way we teach and learn subjects. In just three years, the number of distance education courses offered by two and four years institutions increased from 24,703 in 1995 to 52,270 in 1998. The Internet has provided us with an alternative way to take and receive classroom instruction. The power of distance education is exciting. Now, people who did not have access to a college or university can earn a degree by turning on their computer. I agree that we need to help our colleges and universities offer more distance education courses. One of the ways to do this is to ensure that students who study through distance learning have the same access to student aid programs. However, it is important that we also maintain the protections that are built into the law to prevent fraud and abuse. I applaud Representative Isakson for taking the lead on such an important initiative, and I am grateful for his willingness to work with me to address some of my concerns.”