Opinions on the benefits of online education are split: some feel it has revolutionized the industry, while others believe it has hurt the value of a college education.

Some people only complain, while other people do something about the problem. DePauw University in Indiana belongs to the latter category.

With goals to both enrich the liberal college experience with technology and to serve as a model for other universities, DePauw's 361° Initiatives has blended the traditional values of a liberal arts communication with the possibilities of modern technology.

Educause Quarterly reports:

From the beginning, the programs focused on alignment with the institution's historic culture, values, and mission-a dedication to effective teaching and learning and to a liberal arts education designed to prepare students for life's work. There would be no technology for technology's sake at DePauw.

Over the past four years, the 361° programs have done much to extend, enliven, and enhance teaching and learning at DePauw. To borrow the words of one recent graduate, DePauw's initiatives " have fostered student and faculty use of, and facility with, computers and other digital technologies to develop the skills and languages needed to learn, live, and work in an increasingly technological world.&lrquo; In recognition of its successes, DePauw received the 2004 EDUCAUSE Award for Systemic Progress in Teaching and Learning, and the university was recently named the Third Most Connected University in the country by Forbes.com.It is truly inspiring to see this kind of concern for making a student's college experience the absolute best it can be. Here's hoping that others follow in DePauw's footsteps.