Next year it will be a little easier for adult learners to find in-depth information about Fielding Graduate University’s online programs, and those of a number of other institutions, too.

Fielding is a member of Transparency By Design, a consortium of 14 adult-serving higher education institutions involved in online learning. In 2009, TBD institutions will be working to create a Web site in partnership with the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, a cooperative organization that focuses on technology and higher education. WCET and its parent organization were recently awarded a $629,000 grant by the Lumina Foundation for Education to advance a project that will provide adult learners with better access to information about online academic programs.

In an era when 4 million students are opting to take courses online (fully 20 percent of all college students enrolled in at least one online class last year, according to the 2008 Sloan Survey of Online Learning) and when higher education costs overall are skyrocketing, such transparency is essential. Students need to know that each online program they take will truly prepare them for their careers, and that every dollar they invest in their education is well-spent.

In 2009, WCET will create a Web site that will share and interpret data from participating institutions, including student demographics, completion rates, costs, student satisfaction levels and information on alumni experiences.

Future versions of the Web site will include outcomes for academic programs and program specializations, such as what students learn from their programs (using internal and third-party assessments), what they think about them (tapping student satisfaction surveys), and what alumni think about them (employing alumni surveys and information on job placement).

Fielding Graduate University is a provider of knowledge, new practices and graduate-level learning opportunities in the fields of clinical psychology, media psychology, organizational development and educational leadership. A nonprofit, accredited university, Fielding is headquartered in Santa Barbara, where it was founded in 1974.