The recent shift to remote instruction in response to the global pandemic has resulted in increasing demand for flexible learning options in higher education going forward. As institutions strategize the advancement of distance education as a means of addressing these demands, a parallel need has emerged for increased awareness of flexible…

Factors that drive delivery mode decisions are multifaceted and often necessarily go beyond instructional design needs. Additional influencing factors include logistical, technical, and policy considerations. The COVID-19 pandemic illuminated the many opportunities and challenges that accompany the chosen distance delivery mode, prompting the need…

The three-dimensional (3D) virtual world is one of the current innovations that has been discussed extensively as the potential medium for online distance education. Despite the heated discussion on the possible applications of 3D virtual worlds for distance education, empirical studies were hard to locate, and little has been written about how…

Presents suggestions to assist distance educators in making instructional development choices to maximize the effectiveness of available bandwidth. Discusses identification of available bandwidth and describes four variables that can be manipulated to reduce the consumption of bandwidth (time/place, fidelity, degree of realism, level of…

Though distance education can be a different educational experience from more traditional classroom instruction, it is, nonetheless, founded in instructional systems design (ISD). As such, the creation of effective distance courses should be based on a theoretical model that takes into account considerations specific to distributed learning…

As more opportunities for enrolling in online courses and programs become available, ensuring the quality of such educational experiences will continue to increase in importance. One factor determining quality concerns the student support services available to distance learners. Unfortunately, these services are often underdeveloped or overlooked,…

This paper details the origins of the media comparison study methodology, its current use as an evaluation instrument in distance education, and recommendations for more stringent discrimination between research and evaluation in the field of distance learning. The following topics are discussed: (1) the history of research in instructional…

Discussion of the effectiveness of distance education presents a framework for understanding three of the primary variables that comprise the design and delivery of distance education: teaching method, media attributes, and delivery mode; and emphasizes the importance of discriminating between them when evaluating instruction. Considers online…

Discusses the need for quality instructional images in a networked environment and presents strategies for maximizing the effectiveness of visuals for instruction in distance education. Topics include the instructional value of images; types of network technologies; bandwidth constraints in televised instruction, computer-based instruction, and…

This report focuses on the nature, use, and challenges of educational technology. The following articles are included: "Technology and Change for the Information Age" (James B. Ellsworth); "Education in a Digital Democracy: Leading the Charge for Learning about, with, and beyond Technology" (Mark David Milliron and Cindy L.…

Contains four articles covering trends and issues on distance learning including: the experience of two learners learning via the Internet; a systematic approach to determining the scalability of a distance education program; identifying factors that affect learning community development and performance in asynchronous distance education; and…