Summary brief written by Dr. Bothel (1999) to move toward a university system strategy for distance learning. The TSU program developed can be found at: www.tsulearn.net

Distance Learning

The California forty-niners who rushed to Sutter's Mill 150 years ago were sure they'd find gold just inches below the soil. Similarly, today many institutions are rushing into the distance education market sure that there's gold to be found easily there...Only when educational institutions view distance education as a fully capitalized business will they begin to understand the options and opportunities, the real risks and real costs. The business case for advancing investments in technology-dependent distance education must focus on demand, infrastructure, and content.

Kenneth C. Green, On the Horizon, VolV, Issue 6, 1998.

 

As higher education moves forward to secure a leadership in distance education throughout the world, Kenneth Green offers some adroit advice. The "gold rush" after "fools gold" that has been seen at many educational institutions, can be adverted by careful planning that involves all levels of the institution. My personal view is that successful distance learning programs are those that are faculty driven and emphasize student outcomes. Our success will be determined by our ability to focus on Green's:

Demand
Content
Infrastructure

Demand: Marketing opportunities for flexible learning programs are everywhere. Everyone should be marketing our programs and institution. Quality programs are in demand. The key is to make them visible. Educators are experts at needs assessment. We need merely activate our academic forces. Markets can be best developed through the academic departments. Provost Owen Elder at Troy State University has provided a good directive for all organizations developing distance learning programs saying "distance education programs must originate with the deans, chairs, and faculty who will be involved. The marketing effort should follow rather than lead the process."

Content: The quality and development of academic programs has to be the primary function of each academic department. Distance learning courses should be "owned" by each department and driven by faculty expertise and student needs. Support from an Institutional Research group is essential.

Infrastructure: Infrastructure should become the key function of a distance learning support center. Along with providing additional visibility for academic programs, the distance learning group will assist faculty and staff in developing and presenting courses to students in a variety of markets.

Dr. Richard Thomas Bothel © 4-9-1999