spring). Staffing a distance learning team: Whom do you really need

One of the basic problems in building a distance learning team or hiring new personnel is that a very limited number of people have significant experience in the field. Thus the question becomes one of what experiences and skills do distance learning personnel need. When people think of distance learning, they often think first of technology. Indeed, the growth of distance learning today is greatly dependent upon the internet and other technologies which make it readily available to a large population. Often, when a distance learning program is initiated at a university, the first hires are people with expertise in networking, telecommunications, or programming. While these skills are important, they cannot stand alone in building a successful distance learning program. The distance learning manager and team generally do not spend the majority of their time solving technical problems or upgrading equipment. If they do, then their program is not driven by student needs and academic planning, and is unlikely to meet institutional goals. A distance learning team’s first priorities should be needs assessment and planning, faculty support, and student support. Other major issues that are dealt with on a daily basis are marketing and promotion, budgeting, scheduling, program evaluation, graphic design, and administrative management. Clearly, the ideal situation might seem to have a multitude of persons on a distance learning staff to provide expertise in a specific area. But the reality is that the large majority of distance programs are in the midst of their growth spurts, and operate with small staffs with multiple roles. Furthermore, many of the roles overlap and often require expertise in unrelated functions. With the above responsibilities in mind, the ideal distance learning staff member will possess experience related to most of th