The purpose of this phenomenological study was to investigate the perspectives of Texas school district administrators concerning the virtual school programs being implemented in their districts. Interviews with the eight participants were analyzed in an effort to provide a comprehensive explanation of their lived experiences (Moustakas, 1994).…

The Illinois Community College Board provided more than $3.3 million to community colleges during fiscal year 2009 to support local workforce and economic development services through their Business and Industry Centers. The workforce development activities conducted under this grant include customized job training on campus or on-site at a…

The University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Economics was selected as a pilot institution for implementing distance education in Slovenia. This article illustrates how the synergy of combining existing domestic resources and the local social/educational environment with outside expertise could bring about a self-sustainable distance education program…

The impetus and situation for development of a Polish open university similar to Britain's are outlined and discussed, focusing on Poland's educational system since World War II, the limits to expansion of conventional universities, new educational interests, alternative program models, and administrative organization. (MSE)

Focuses on distance learning ventures. Discusses surviving for-profit ventures of traditional universities; other distance learning ventures that appear to be working; the state of virtual universities and consortia; lessons learned from online for-profit ventures; challenges; and a strategy for traditional non-profit institutions to develop a…

Introduces other articles in this issue devoted to distributed learning at metropolitan universities. Discusses issues that institutions should address if considering distributed learning: institutional goals and strategic plans, faculty development needs and capabilities, student support services, technical and personnel infrastructure, policies,…

Asserting that providing infrastructure to support online classes is analogous to building a new physical campus adjacent to the pre-existing one, describes the support requirements of online faculty, information technology networks, students, and administrators. Says that if these infrastructure considerations are not addressed near the beginning…

Explores the option of using distance education courses as a viable alternative to building classrooms and facilities. Distance education could be one solution to the financial and physical facilities problems universities may have in dealing with the predicted economic and enrollment conditions. (AEF)

Distance learning programs, services and clients since 1975 at California State University, Chico, are described. Background, funding, and the teleconferencing network are discussed. (CW)

Outlines four categories of "prior" questions to consider before embarking on a distance learning program: "Everyone is doing it"; "The promise of income"; "Computers and networks"; and "Potential students." Identifies other questions that focus on types of individual needs and how they are being met; options that could be made available; problems…

The Illinois Community College Board provided more than $3.3 million to community colleges during fiscal year 2008 to provide workforce and economic development services through their Business and Industry Centers. The workforce development activities conducted under this grant include customized job training on campus or on-site at a business;…

Describes efforts by a team of faculty, staff, students, and administrators at a small southwestern university to "Web-base" a graduate degree program. Identifies eight functional system components that must be addressed and aligned to promote distance learning. Discusses key issues and decisions made during development of the system in the…

This report describes the activities of the first 5 years of the Lesotho Distance Teaching Center, which uses distance teaching methods to bring education to more people in Lesotho. Also described are the Center's internal organization, its relationship to other organizations in Lesotho, its costs, and some evaluation findings. Background…

Presents guidelines for effective distance education planning that confront the issues of planning/organization, technology, and faculty development/academic policies. Concludes that understanding the unique characteristics and constraints of any particular program or target audience is the first step in selecting appropriate distance education…

The realization that a substantial segment of Canadian society could participate in a college education only if barriers of time and distance were removed led to an emphasis upon the concept of distance education as a necessary and desirable component of the programming of a community college. Recently, however, critics have argued that the…