Harvard online: paradigm shift, or business as usual? (Controversy).

THE LONG-STANDING RULE REQUIRING HARVARD DEGREE RECIPIENTS to spend at least one year on campus has been revised. And with that, a Harvard degree no longer depends on physical presence in a Harvard classroom. While this rule applies only to master's degree programs, many in the business of higher education are asking whether giving the green light to a degree-granting distance learning program at the oldest institution of higher learning in the U.S. marks a sea change in the field of online education.

While the old axiom "as Harvard goes, the rest of the world follows," may still apply in some cases, construing Harvard's apparent imprimatur as an official stamp of approval on all distance learning in this instance would be an overstatement.

Harvard's decision does not run counter to its reputation as an institution that traditionally charts its own course, even as it joins a growing cadre of other "elite" schools offering online degree programs (e.g., Johns Hopkins, Stanford, Brown, etc.). Initially cautious in its approach to distance education, Harvard previously declined an invitation to join a distance learning alliance among Yale, Princeton, and Stanford in February 2000. Similarly, in 2002, Harvard chose not to follow MIT's lead in making lecture notes, course outlines, reading lists, and assignments for all of its courses accessible online at no cost through the OpenCourseWare Project.

But Harvard's foray into distance learning is not new. Dozens of online courses are currently being offered in Harvard's 11 schools. In fact, the issues surrounding modifications of a rule that open up the gates of degree-granting distance learning may speak less to qualms about the credibility of distance learning, and more to a larger question: What does a Harvard degree mean?

Ostensibly, earning course credit (and ultimately a degree) without stepping foot on campus does not fly in the face of Harvard's mission to "... advance new ideas and promote enduring knowledge." Nor does it run counter to Harvard President Summer's desire to be on the "cutting edge" of education.

Why the ballyhoo? Harvard has not broken new ground in the world of distance learning, nor is it first to market. And despite the well-publicized failures of some for-profit online ventures, degree-granting distance learning appears to be in Harvard's playbook.

The entry of Harvard and other "elite" colleges into the degree-granting distance learning business may not be so much a sign of distance learning's abrupt ascendancy to "credibility," but rather, an institutional branding strategy that will help Harvard maintain its competitive advantage among its peers.

With lifestyle changes, and midcareer professionals finding it increasingly difficult to trek to Cambridge for a year or more, "the best and the brightest" have begun to consider convenience as a primary selection criterion. While it's hard to imagine that Harvard has qualms about the University of Phoenix encroaching on its target market, peer institutions with comparable brand names have begun to lure top students with an "anywhere, anytime" degree delivery strategy.

Competition exists when one organization seeks to do what another does, only better. Competitive advantage is gained when one organization does something the competition finds difficult to duplicate. As Harvard plots a course that takes it into a competitive market already occupied with products from similarly branded organizations, the challenge will be to maintain its role in a highly differentiated marketplace. In a market with strong competitors, Harvard will have to practice this differentiation by associating the Harvard image with its product. How it delivers will be just as important as what it delivers.

A rapidly changing marketplace is a major threat to brand equity, and for Harvard to maintain its cachet in this marketplace, perception will. have to be shaped. Successfully conveying that the Harvard online educational experience is identical in quality to the Harvard on-campus experience will test brand strength. Related to that will be issues about the institution's renowned selectivity. Will graduation from a Harvard online degree program be perceived as carrying the same weight as graduation from a traditional on-campus program?

Driven in part by an aging, busy, career-oriented demographic, competitive advantage will come to those who understand their specific market segment and can generate appeal in it. For some, the method and means by which the university-conferred credential is obtained will be more important than the brand associated with that credential. Price and expediency may well be the only selection criteria. For other segments of the market, the brand will drive choice, and the battle among the elite for this population will be won by those who can associate image with product most effectively.

Less understood are market segments that consider method, means, and brand together, without priority. For some, Harvard's entry into the distance degree-granting field may spur some students with certain Ivy League aspirations to apply, but a more compelling set of reasons will guide choice. For that reason, those universities that demonstrate competitive pricing, an array of offerings, and a market-responsive program design will endure, and perhaps need not worry too much about competing with the Crimson.