When deciding whether I will offer classes via distance education or traditional class room lectures, I have been faced with many questions. Basically there are two questions that come to mind (1) Will the students learn the material? and (2) will the students remain motivated and perform the work? When contemplating these questions, I feel compelled to examine whether distance learning is effective. These questions apply directly to student characteristics, teaching strategies and the instructional design and development of the course. It is critical that these three areas be looked at both individually and together when developing a distance learning program. Specifically, the areas of students characteristics and teaching strategies should be looked at to determine how best to serve the students.

The authors of the text have provided a good argument as to whether distance education is as effective as traditional class room delivery. The authors have presented that research dating from the 1920s to the present has shown that students involved in distance education have scored as well or better than students learning in traditional class room settings. Additionally, employers and students have been very satisfied with the skills learned via distance education and the costs for training and education have often been reduced by a reduction in travel expenses and instructor fees. Therefore, the authors believe that there is no longer a need to determine whether distance education courses are as effective as class room courses, because given the research provided it is.

There are many factors that must be taken into consideration when planning for a distance education course or program. When selecting the most effective media student characteristics, effective course design, teaching strategies, as well as economy of scale and cost effectiveness must be taken into account.

Students have varying levels of experience and have different learning styles, therefore selecting an effective media for delivery of instruction must be thought through to determine the best media for the students. Several studies have been conducted on this subject. W. Souder, the Director for the Center for the Management of Science and Technology, Eminent Scholar Endowed Professor of Technology, at the University of Alabama-Huntsville wrote a paper titled The Effectiveness of Traditional vs. Satellite Delivery in Three Management of Technology Master's Degree Programs. It was published in The American Journal of Distance Education, Vol. 7(1):37-53 in 1993.

This publication indicated that many distance education students are older and therefore more mature, motivated and have a sense of responsibility that assists them in succeeding in the distance learning environment. The author also indicated that there is a definite need for students to communicate regularly with the instructor to insure timely feedback and help the learner succeed.

I am specifically interested in this subject, as pilots of a web-based class that I held in the 1997-1998 school year were not as successful as hoped due to low motivation of the students.

In delivering an effective distance education program, teaching strategies that are non-traditional may need to be employed. There is a need for teacher training and research in this field. Gehlauf, Shatz and Frye of Ohio University wrote a paper titled "Faculty Perceptions of Interactive Television Instructional Strategies: Implications for Training", which was published in The American Journal of Distance Education, Vol. 5(3):20-28 in 1991.

The publication addresses the use of television broadcasts for distance education. The authors have evaluated existing television broadcast classes, and found that they are generally based on the teaching styles of a traditional classroom lecture. They also researched what types of television broadcasts promote the most effective learning and have found that broadcasts including audio and visual aids have better retention of the material and keep students motivated.

In order to be more effective in this media, teachers will need to be trained to alter their lecture-based delivery and move to a more visual and audio- based lesson. This will most likely require a great deal of training and may even require hiring of special distance learning faculty.

The Innovations in Distance Education at Penn State University, http://www.cde.psu.edu/de/ide has created a faculty initiative, which provides guidelines and training for faculty involved in distance education. Additionally, grants are given to faculty to explore different areas of instructional design as well as to attend symposia and conferences both national and international.

I believe that this is very hopeful and may be able to alter the patterns that Gehlauf, Shatz and Frye have identified in their study.

In order to effectively utilize the media for distance education and provide students with the best education possible via this means, the designing team must be sure to address the student characteristics, the teaching strategies to be employed in the delivery of the content and the design of the instruction.