Designing a distance education program: the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs

Abstract

Although distance education has been around for decades, for many it is just now becoming a serious alternative to the traditional college/university approach to education. Due to the rapid improvements in technology and the present changes in the student population, more and more institutions of higher learning are considering implementing a distance education program. This article discusses the distance learning program that at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. The program has just finished its first year, and there have been successes and failures. Both are discussed, with some suggestions for existing distance education programs and for those institutions thinking about implementing a distance education curriculum. A variety of distance programs are discussed and a model of course effectiveness is presented for testing in the distance education environment. We learned that there are many challenges to implementing such a program, and technology is just one of many.