The phenomenal growth of distance-learning programs and the possibility of a virtual university have increased concerns about how to ensure that higher education programs delivered via telecommunications are of good quality. The Western Cooperative for Educational Telecommunications has formulated guidelines, presented here, for…

Describes the development and function of Western Governors University, a virtual university, and its implications for the role of the community college. Recommends that community colleges continue to develop the capacity to provide electronic instruction. Suggests that partnerships between virtual universities and community colleges will be…

This document reports on a telephone survey of higher education planning activities in the western United States that sought information on the development of intrastate electronic consortia for higher education services. A taxonomy of "virtual universities" was developed to make it possible to compare differences and similarities…