Improving Distance Education: Perceptions of Program Administrators.The Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration. IV (II). Accessed from the WWW: http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/spring41/husmann41.html

Distance education programming has become a common component of higher education institutions. These programs often are developed singularly by faculty or through divisions of continuing education, and the results can be non-focused, disjointed program offerings. A major problem associated with distance education is the lack of "program " focus, with the majority of attention going to individual course offerings. Accepting the notion that a holistic view must be assumed for distance education programs to be considered "effective, " the current study is one in a series associated with the factors necessary for a holistic view of distance education. Using a three-round Delphi survey instrument, distance education administrators were questioned about their perceptions of variables and factors necessary for effective distance education programs. Administrators agreed most strongly that programs should encourage quality and a customer orientation, but mostly, should provide the tools necessary for faculty members to modify course materials. Distance education has changed from an anomaly to a standard component of most higher education institutions. Through the delivery of courses on-line, via the internet, or through satellite or television broadcasts, colleges and universities have found it profitable to provide learning services and opportunities through alternative delivery methods. The incentive for offering courses via "the distance " has been largely pronounced as two-fold: to bette