Presents views of three faculty members at Penn State about online distance instruction. Discusses their opinions on interaction with students; whether online courses are demanding; instructional effectiveness; faculty support; student profiles; and reasons for distance education. (AEF)

Discusses the following indicators for measuring success in mainstreaming distance education in higher education: integration, resulting in funding and credit for off-campus students; course ownership, providing legal protection for faculty; product differentiation among institutions in course offerings, quality, and flexibility; flexible time…

Discusses the increasing number of college students taking courses online via the Internet and describes student help pages from various colleges to determine their content. Examines equipment requirements, tutorials on computer procedures, technical support, and the need for effective orientation to this new type of course. (LRW)

Discusses the distinctions made between hardware and technology as applied to distance education. Highlights include hardware and technology in the planning process, media-delivery systems in higher education, communication in teaching and learning, and new definitions of educational technology. (LRW)

Continues discussion of distance-education systems based on a model consisting of students, teachers, administrators and other professionals in schools, universities, libraries, and other institutions (presented in previous issue). Discusses place- and time-bound education systems; dynamics of education on demand; and characteristics of…

Continues discussion of a distance-education systems model (presented in previous issues). Examines societal systems, the next level of this hierarchical model. Discusses responding to social needs, social and economic change in the 1990s, and distance and higher education in the 1990s. Provides samples of newspaper articles, one of the main…

Discussion of the growth of distance education programs focuses on program evaluation. Describes the American Evaluation Association http://www.eval.org, the ERIC Clearinghouse on Assessment and Evaluation (ERIC/AE) http://ericae.net; lists steps for planning formative evaluation; and considers the appropriate uses of new technology. (LRW)

Discusses inconclusive results in educational research about how mediated instruction affects the learner. Topics include the influence of microcomputers; flaws in comparative studies that concentrated on the physical attributes of the medium rather than instructional design issues; aptitude treatment interaction analysis; and media attributes and…

Discusses issues related to course evaluation and reliable feedback from students in distance education. Considers features that should be taken into account in the design and development of an evaluation instrument, including contemporary theoretical principles in distance education; contemporary critical practices in the field; and ascertaining…

Discusses next generation distance education systems, which include research in cognitive science, systems science, and communication theory to provide a learning environment with student autonomy congruent to prior learning, learning objectives, and content materials to be mastered. Describes Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL), object…

Discussion of what works in distance education highlights why theory-based data is needed; the paucity of research literature and the increase in descriptive articles; benefits of theory-based research, including assessing costs and benefits, accelerating accreditation, evaluating learning outcomes, comparing programs, and designing authoring…

Briefly highlights the work of one of the early pioneers of online education, Dr. Linda M. Harasim. Harasim stated five characteristics for online education and included active learning through peer communication and social process of knowledge building in the overall theory and definition of distance education. Other early contributors to…

Suggests that for distance education to become a more articulated discipline, researching theory-based practice, collecting data from it, and interpreting data within the theoretical framework of the field is of utmost importance. Discusses the problems with a theoretical reporting of projects and practice, and briefly highlights contributions of…

Outlines the role of faculty and issues that need to be addressed early on if large-scale distance education is going to be successful. Discusses academic freedom; intellectual property; training; compensation; and royalties and revenue sharing. Notes the importance of active involvement by faculty in shaping the university of the future. (AEF)

Suggests that in distance education, "anytime" learning is as important as "anyplace" learning, and that true "anytime" learning is directly related to how much technology is used to make admission and enrollment flexible, and to allow students to move forward at their own pace. Using computer technology to make time…