Master of Distance Education

Graduate School of Management and Technology

2003 UCEA award for Program of Excellence

The University Continuing Education Association (UCEA) recently honored UMUC's Master of Distance Education (MDE) Program by selecting it as the 2003 Program of Excellence within the Distance Education Community of Practice. UCEA is the leading association in the adult education field. The award was announced at UCEA's 88th Annual Conference in Chicago on Saturday March 29th, 2003.

Gene Rubin receives the UCEA award from Provost Nick Allen on May 8, 2003

"I believe UCEA is recognizing the MDE program for its many strengths, including our international collaboration, complete online delivery, expert international faculty, diverse student body, and broad and in-depth curriculum," said Gene Rubin, chair of the Master of Distance Education in UMUC's Graduate School.

The MDE curriculum seeks to develop people who can manage distance education programs within educational, business, government and non-profit organizations. Requirements include 36 credits offered entirely online, including a final project. In conjunction with the degree, students may elect to pursue a 12-credit Certificate Program in one of six areas. Certificates are also available to non-degree seekers wishing to retrain in distance education.

Students come from a variety of backgrounds, including higher education, the corporate world, government, military, and non-profit organizations. Most are in mid-career and looking to change professions. Others are seeking to update their skills because of changes in their current positions.

The MDE program, which began just three years ago in January of 2000, is offered in partnership with Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, Germany - a leading German institution with extensive experience in distance education. This collaboration with Oldenburg adds a cross-cultural perspective to the program, increasingly important in today's global marketplace. Rubin believes additional collaborations will likely be developed in the future with countries in other parts of the world, such as Asia and Central/South America.

The program's distinguished faculty members come from all over world, including the U.S., Canada, Germany, Great Britain, Sweden, Australia, New Zealand, and Israel.

Dr. Linda Carl, Chair of the Award Committee wrote in her letter to Mark Parker, Executive Assistant to the Provost at UMUC on February 28th:

"The committee felt the University of Maryland University College's experence with the non-traditional learner and with distance education (DE) has been melded into a Master of Distance Education (MDE). This program meets a defined need, has been highly successful in recruiting students, and follows best practice in distance learning program development and implementation. The program is particularly outstanding in the following areas:

• Exceptional interactive co-development beginning with seminars and moving into a degree with Germany's Oldenburg University;
• In depth research done on such topics as the lurking learner and faculty mentoring, far exceeds the standard efforts carried out in most programs; and
• the optional addition given to students to complete a 12 credit, four-course, post-baccalaureate certificate in one of five DE related areas."

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