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Unveiling Distance Education: Challenges, Changes, and Leadership Perspectives

Explore factors influencing early program success, issues driving change, services essential for students, leadership dynamics, and future directions in distance learning. Gain insights on instructional development and the evolving landscape of education in the digital age.

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Unveiling Distance Education: Challenges, Changes, and Leadership Perspectives

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  1. Understanding Distance Education Getting Beneath the Surface Steven G. Sachs Dean of Information Technology Northern Virginia Community College ssachs@nv.cc.va.us Southern Assn. Of Colleges and Schools 1999 Annual Meeting

  2. Factors in Early Program Success • Discrete distance learning program • Support from the top • Focus on high enrollment courses • Faculty involvement in course design • Critical mass of courses • Use of full-time faculty

  3. Issues Bringing Change • DL faculty have changed • DL students are not all the same • Growing interest in asynch courses (everyone wants to get in on the act) • Rapid technology changes • More DL players

  4. . . . More Issues Bringing Change • Students need tech support • Institutions lack plans for DL • Definitions of DL fuzzy • Courses must be more than links • Assessment poses new challenges • ‘Workforce development’ is the new ‘darling’

  5. . . . More Issues Bringing Change Distant Learners need more than courses

  6. Services Students Need • Course Registration • Tuition Payment • Class Schedule • Catalog • Student Handbook • Degree Audit • Orientation • Library Materials • Librarian Help • Tutoring • Academic Advising • Textbook Ordering • Study Skills Help • Writing Center Support • Financial Aid Counseling • Placement Testing • Technical Support • Career Counseling

  7. . . . More Issues Bringing Change Too Few Senior-level Distance Learning Leaders . . . Lots of distance learning managers

  8. Distance LearningLeadervs.Manager • Vision . . . wide vs. narrow • Perspective . . . global vs. local • Motivates vs.protects • Understands Details & Implications vs. ‘Big Picture’ dreamer

  9. . . . More Leaders vs. Managers • Proactive vs.reactive • Problem Solvervs.problem reporter • Politically Astutevs.naïve • Communicatesvs.‘knows’ • Energy vs.potential

  10. Future Directions • More virtual campuses • Mix of technologies • New partnerships • Smaller institutions will opt out

  11. An Instructional Development Model

  12. . . . More Future Directions • Textbook related sites will become more important • Distance learning will become a meaningless term

  13. “I am against paper forms, but even I still print out long documents I want to read and annotate. . . . books and magazines still can’t be beat for readability and portability.” Bill Gates Business @the Speed of Thought 1999

  14. To view this presentation online: http://www.nv.cc.va.us/oit/presentations/sacs99 For more information: Dr. Steven Sachs ssachs@nv.cc.va.us (703) 323-3387 Northern Virginia Community College 4001 Wakefield Chapel Rd. Annandale, VA 22003

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