This report provides a brief description of a 1986 conference on distance education together with four of the papers presented by the five keynote speakers; an outline of the fifth paper is included. It is noted that, in addition to these papers, the conference included 26 application sessions which allowed the 183 participants to select issues and topics to explore in small groups. The keynote papers are: (1) "Design of Distance Learning Programs," in which Erling Jorgenson considers how instructional design principles may be used appropriately and provides specific suggestions for distance learning design strategies; (2) "Evaluating Distance Education," in which Peter J. Dirr examines how distance education programs might be evaluated using the Annenberg/Corporation for Public Broadcasting Program as an example; (3) "Learners and Learning at a Distance," in which Michael G. Moore assesses distance education program design from the perspective of the adult learner's needs, and comments on the current system of distance education; (4) "Teachers and Teaching at a Distance," in which Dee Brock reports the results of a survey of the attitudes of both faculty and administrators involved in distance education; and (5) "Effective Administration and Support of Distance Education" (outline only), in which Michael P. Lambert considered several topics, including excellence in distance learning support, the goals of student support, the benchmarks of quality, tips on support, tips on strategic planning, and illustrations of typical student support departments. (EW)