The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee will establish a national Center for the Study of Distance Education and Technological Advancement with the support of a $1.48 million grant from the federal government.

The new center will work in collaboration with the University of Wisconsin System, UW-Extension, Milwaukee Area Technical College and EDUCAUSE. The three-year grant is through the U.S. Department of Education's Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE).

"This grant advances UWM's already strong reputation in online education, and we are delighted to have the opportunity to further understanding of online pedagogies that lead to student success," Johannes Britz, provost and vice chancellor for Academic Affairs, said in a statement.

The DETA Research Center will identify and evaluate effective course and institutional practices in online learning and competency-based education for all students, including those who are economically disadvantaged, students with disabilities, and adult learners. The center will develop and disseminate a national research model for online education.

Work on the DETA research model will begin in February 2015 at a national summit planned in conjunction with the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative Annual Meeting in Anaheim, Calif. Grant funding will also support research through subgrant awards to be determined through a nationally competitive RFP process. The Center will work with MATC on the inclusion of two-year colleges in research activities, and UW-Extension, a leader in competency-based education (CBE), will coordinate a CBE research project for the Center.

"The EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative along with the teaching and learning community will significantly benefit from a center dedicated to evidence-based online learning and technology research. We know there has been a steady accumulation of successful work and innovation in this area, and we look forward to partnering with and leveraging the practices and models that emerge," Julie Little, vice president at EDUCAUSE, said in a statement.

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee has already won a number of national awards and recognitions for its learning initiatives.