The Effect of Offering Distance Education on Enrollment in Onsite Training at the National Conservation Training Center

This study was requested by the Division of Education Outreach (DEO) at the National Conservation Training Center (NCTC) of the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). To complete this study, the DEO partnered with the Policy Analysis and Science Assistance Branch (PASA) of the U. S. Geological Survey. The objective of the study was to explore the effect that providing training courses through use of distance education technology would have on the enrollment in courses offered on the campus at NCTC. The study includes two components: analysis of existing training enrollment data for the time period October 1, 2007 to June 24, 2009, and a survey of FWS employees regarding their preferences for onsite training and distance education.