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Editorial Staff Submissions Copyright Mission Feedback Journal Home
Spring 1998 - Volume I, Number 1
Asking the Really Tough Questions: Policy Issues for Distance Learning
Selecting technology is perhaps the easiest part of developing a distance learning program. Most colleges and universities find an array of available delivery systems ranging from interactive television to sophisticated Web-based asynchronous learning networks (ALNs). As these institutions strive to provide quality alternative instructional delivery and enter the increasingly competitive race for new students, two areas often receive little attention - policy development and planning. . .
A technologically enhanced learning environment has many different factors which can increase the pedagogical effectiveness of course content at a distance. Using e-mail, group support tools, compressed video, and web-based instruction, learners can receive instruction that otherwise would not have had it available to them. However, a major problem in the design of distance education and technologically supported education is that sometimes we simply will try to apply the traditional pedagogical tools into a technologically enhanced environment in order to deliver distance education. . .
Alternative Futures for Distance Learning: The Force and the Darkside
There are forces at work that are going to reshape the practice of distance learning and higher education in the United States. Technology only enters as an opportunity to channel these forces in very different directions. The channeling process is really that of administrative and management practices and policies that govern the utilization of educational technology and methods. While there are desirable futures possible it is becoming evident that many current practices and related economic forces can result in a future that is quite analogous to the "darkside" of the force. . .
Help Line: The Ultimate in Distance Support
Nothing can be more frustrating for a distant student than spending hours on the phone trying to find out pertinent school information. As distance education continues to grow, so does the need for more responsive student support services.To meet the needs of these remote students, administrators have come to realize the importance of a distance learning phone Help Line.
Distance Learning In the Millenium: Where Is It Going?
Like mushrooms in a damp forest distance learning programs have sprung up and multiplied incredibly over the past ten years. However, despite its high profile in academe, distance learning remains highly controversial. Will it be the “savior” of the educational enterprise, or will it be the “destroyer” of the educational establishment as we know it?
Staffing a Distance Learning Team: Whom Do You Really Need?
One of the basic problems in building a distance learning team or hiring new personnel is that a very limited number of people have significant experience in the field. Thus the question becomes one of what experiences and skills do distance learning personnel need . . .
