The purpose of this study was to profile the preferred productivity and learning style preferences of participants enrolled in distance education courses at Marshall University (West Virginia) (Spring of 1995). The accessible population of this study consisted of 167 distance education participants in nursing, education, and paralegal programs. A stratified random sample of 117 was drawn to provide study data. The data collection instrument was the Productivity Environmental Preference Survey (PEPS). The 100 items of the PEPS yield scores in 20 areas. The average internal consistency reliability for the 20 areas was 7.1. One-way analyses of variance were used to compare the group means of the 3 program areas on each of the 20 PEPS areas. Findings suggest that environmental, sociological, and perceptual preferences are essential for maximizing productivity. Individuals responsible for designing learning and working environments for distance education learners need to design a paradigm that is flexible to meet individual preferences for optimum learning and productivity. (Contains 3 tables and 22 references.) (Author/SLD)