The purpose of this study was to develop a task list from which a self-check readiness evaluation tool could be developed to assist faculty who were unfamiliar with televised distance instruction. The study's results should provide guidance to new faculty in identifying both self-directed and assisted staff development activities in preparation for implementing distance education. A survey of experienced distance learning faculty at a major eastern university was utilized for data collection. Initial survey items came from distance learning literature, as well as interviews and feedback from six faculty members experienced in televised instruction. At the request of the researchers, the university vice-president of distance learning identified a pool of experienced distance learning instructors from each of the colleges. Three faculty members from each college were then randomly selected. These 18 faculty members were contacted via an e-mail letter explaining the intent of the research and asking for their participation. Three faculty members from each of the six colleges agreed to review the duty and task statements on the survey instrument and to indicate if a task should be (a) retained as written; (b) retained with editing; or (c) deleted. All 18 participants completed and returned the survey. The majority of respondents indicated agreement regarding the tasks. Interestingly, the items with the lowest agreement, those with 61% and 72%, often had comments regarding specific subject area needs. Like many research efforts, this study serves to highlight the need for further effort to find answers to new research questions. (Contains 9 tables.)