This monograph examines the effectiveness of university-level audioconference courses and distance education in Alaska. It discusses some of the problems of distance education and examines different perspectives on audioconferences. Teachers and students, both Native American and non-Native, offer their opinions on audioconferencing as an educational method. Factors such as climate, geography, efficiency of the postal system, the university support network, and telecommunications facilities often influence students' distance-education experience. The negative effects of such factors may cause students to drop out of audioconference courses or delay their completion. Differences between audioconferencing and in-person instruction touch upon many aspects of higher education including course scheduling, learning and teaching strategies, teaching styles, materials, equipment, and facilitators. Students and teachers have different opinions of the two educational approaches. Other factors coming into play are students' learning environment, institutional support, course evaluation, the audio channel used, and students' hearing problems. The ability to communicate effectively during an audioconference and to correct miscommunication is vital. Miscommunication can occur between student and teacher, among students, or between students and the university. Making courses relevant for students of different ethnic and cultural backgrounds is also important. Negative features of audioconferencing work against one of the goals of the off-campus program, which is to empower rural students to take control of their own education. Forty-four references are cited. Appendices to this document include lists of strategies for audioconference teaching and administration, and a description of a cross-cultural distance-education project using interactive multimedia. (TES)