Penn State World Campus has received a $1 million grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. The grant will be used to help develop distance learning networks, according to a school press release.

The learning networks are designed to allow students who live away from particular campus locations to still take classes. Students can complete courses and earn degrees from colleges often without having to set foot on a physical campus.

Penn State's World Campus provides the opportunity for students to take classes through the Internet, using the World Wide Web and e-mail. Distance learning also can be accomplished through print correspondence and recordable media, such as audio and video tapes.

Penn State was one of the first universities to offer distance learning, the school says, conducting courses by mail in 1892.

The Sloan Foundation has given $30 million in grants to distance learning projects over the last five years. The foundation gave Penn State $1.3 million to establish the World Campus in 1997.

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