West Virginia University Associate Provost Rosemary Haggett will give an overview of recommendations on removing barriers to distance learning during a national videoconference Thursday, April 13.

The conference will originate from two live locationsthe University of Illinois-Chicago and Washington State University.

Since 1996, Dr. Haggett has chaired a committee of the American Distance Education Consortium looking at how distance education would operate in an ideal environment. The project, Idealized Distance Education Administrative Language (IDEAL), aims at removing administrative barriers to distance learning.

Implementation working groups including 45 people from 21 higher education institutions have produced a”rich body of information,”Haggett said, adding that the purpose of the videoconference is to share that information as widely as possible.

Other speakers will include Washington State University President Sam Smith and EDUCAUSE President Brian Hawkins.

The public is invited to view the videoconference in Room 107 of the WVU Agricultural Sciences Building.