Serving Rural Communities with Distance Education Degree Programs

Abstract

Many schools of social work have targeted rural communities as critical regions for distance education (DE) facilitated degree delivery. This article reports on an initial alumni survey of DE graduates in Hawai'i, suggesting that the DE program has been successful in its mission to address workforce shortages in the number of social workers in rural areas. Not only are the majority of alumni still living and working rural areas, but they are also pursuing licensure at high rates. This study proposes that distance education not only transforms individuals, but can also be a tool of community change.

KEYWORDS:

• distance education program
• rural social work
• workforce issues

Notes

^a Data unavailable from current sources.

^b Data from the State of Hawaii Department of Commerce.