Vol 9.1 DEOSNEWS

EDITORIAL

The field of distance education is expanding and progressing at an unprecedented rate. A broader knowledge of the current research and practice in the field helps to inform our own practice as well as impel future research. In an attempt to provide a sample of the available literature, we occasionally publish abstracts and annotated bibliographies from a variety of sources. Most recently, we presented abstracts from recent issues of the _Journal of Distance Education_, published by the Canadian Association for Distance Education (See file number 98-00011.

Information for retrieving back issues appears at the end of this article). The present issue of DEOSNEWS comprises abstracts of articles from Volume 12 (1998) of _The American Journal of Distance Education_. The following abstracts represent a year's worth of research and cover a variety of issues, from computer conferencing and team teaching to assessment and advising to an entire issue dedicated to the topic of leadership (Vol. 12, No. 2).

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THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF DISTANCE EDUCATION

VOLUME 12 NO. 1 - 1998

Author (s): Jeannette McDonald and Chere Campbell Gibson

Title: INTERPERSONAL DYNAMICS AND GROUP DEVELOPMENT IN COMPUTER CONFERENCING

Pages: 7-25

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to describe the patterns of interpersonal interactions relating to group development in asynchronous computer conferencing. Data consisted of transcripts from a graduate course conducted via computer conferencing. Using Schutz' model of group development, messages were analyzed for interpersonal issues. Results suggest that people collaborating as a group via asynchronous computer conferencing have similar interpersonal issues, at comparable stages and proportions, as reported for face-to-face groups. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.

Author (s): Bee Gatliff and Frederick C. Wendel

Title: INTER-INSTITUTIONAL COLLABORATION AND TEAM TEACHING

Pages: 26-37

Abstract

Inter-institutional collaboration and team teaching can enhance distance education. Limited human and financial resources and the quality of teaching, learning, research, and course offerings can all be maximized by the collaborative sharing of resources. Collaborative relationships can be difficult to start and keep on track; however, the potential benefits to institutions of higher education, students, and faculty warrant thorough investigation. The triad of inter-institutional collaboration, team teaching, and distance education presents a multiplicity of issues that must be considered and planned for before initiating programs. Within each element exists a set of inhibitors that could undermine a valuable program if not recognized and dealt with in advance. Of particular interest to those who are new to distance education or collaborative relationships, this paper discusses several issues that should be considered in the planning process to avoid potential roadblocks and to maximize returns.

Author (s): Robert A. Wisher and Annette N. Priest

Title: COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF AUDIO TELETRAINING FOR THE U.S. ARMY NATIONAL GUARD

Pages: 38-51

Abstract

A cost-effectiveness analysis of training Army National Guard soldiers by audio teletraining technology was conducted. The trainees were n = 225 soldiers nationwide. About half of the trainees received training in a three-week Unit Clerk Course through traditional residence training, and the remainder received the same instruction through audio teletraining. Objective performance data were collected from written tests on sixteen of the forty-seven tasks taught. The percentage of trainees in the audio teletraining group that reached criterion (93%) on the first test was significantly higher (by statistical test) than the residence group (85%).In comparing costs, the audio teletraining group had lower training costs per trainee. Projected on an annual basis, the Army National Guard can save $292,404 per year through the use of audio teletraining for the Unit Clerk

Course.

Author (s): Dennis G. Schall

Title: FIRSTCLASS DISTANCE EDUCATION

Pages: 52-67

Abstract

The context of rural Alaska provides many challenges for the University of Alaska, Fairbanks in the delivery of education via distance technologies. Audioconference courses have been and continue to be the backbone of the University's distance delivery system. This paper discusses the potential of a FirstClass Server using telecommunications, e-mail, student-to-student nteraction, submission of assignments, timely instructor feedback, and thetransfer of files and multimedia documents in an asynchronous manner. Survey data were collected from students who received instruction using

this system, as well as the traditional audioconference delivery method. Analysis of the data indicated some positive aspects of the FirstClass system that enhance the distance-delivered instruction.

THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF DISTANCE EDUCATION

VOLUME 12 NO. 2 - 1998

Author (s): James W. Hall

Title: LEADERSHIP IN ACCREDITATION AND NETWORKED LEARNING

Pages: 5-15

Abstract

Distance education and traditional campus-based education are experiencing an historic convergence that has produced a high degree of anticipation and anxiety among those who deal with institutional evaluation and accreditation. Convergence of these two approaches as *networked* education is well-advanced; today's instruction, once mediated at the boundaries of the campus both by the state regulatory authority and the regional or professional accreditation body, easily crosses physical boundaries and established jurisdictions. Accreditation threatens to become a pastiche of intertwining jurisdictions, since neither government nor accreditors have fully anticipated the implications of networked education. How will public policy ensure that appropriate educational and academic controls persist, and how and by whom will the decisions that guarantee the quality, continuity, and credibility of student work be made? Students themselves may already be providing new directions for leadership.

Author (s): Janet K. Poley

Title: CREATING SHARED LEADERSHIP ENVIRONMENTS IN INSTITUTIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL SETTINGS

Pages: 16-25

Abstract

The current leadership literature includes the concepts of visionary leadership, transformational leadership, situational leadership, breakthrough leadership, and shared leadership. This article relates the literature to specific distance education settings and presents cases in higher education that reflect relevant leadership issues and dimensions of leadership. The article includes theory- and practice-based applications to assist leaders in higher education in the implementation of distance education initiatives. Case examples from outside the United States illustrate important leadership variables in exporting distance education to new settings. The significance of networking and collaboration as leadership strategies is explored as a major theme of the article.

Author (s): Amy Kirle Lezberg

Title: QUALITY CONTROL IN DISTANCE EDUCATION: THE ROLE OF REGIONAL ACCREDITATION

Pages: 26-35

Abstract

Presidents wanting their institutions to maintain traditional educational primacy despite necessary changes occasioned by offerings made possible through technological innovations can rely upon the quality assurance mechanisms of their regional accrediting association. This article

discusses how, by augmenting traditional standards as well as the process for their application, the associations address such areas as: the admission, promotion, and graduation of students; the availability of ut-of-class services, including information resources; the integration of distance education programming into the institution as a whole; and public communication of the expectations, process, and results of distance education programming at an accredited institution.

Author (s): Von V. Pittman

Title: LOW-KEY LEADERSHIP: COLLEGIATE CORRESPONDENCE STUDY AND "CAMPUS

EQUIVALENCE"

Pages: 36-45

Abstract

Correspondence study represents the first and most persistent distance education format in American universities. Later called independent study, it enabled universities to disseminate instruction far beyond their campuses. Yet, national-level leadership provided by the National University Continuing Education Association (NUEA) and its divisions has been relatively restrained. In contrast, leadership in the private correspondence school sector has been assertive, and sometimes even aggressive. The NUEA and its members shunned this approach, choosing instead to lead by persuasion and example. The NUEA developed standards of practice concerned primarily with replicating on-campus teaching styles and values, rather than the promotion of distance education. With the abolition of its division structure, the NUEA's successor, the UCEA, has opted out of a leadership role in independent study. This paper concludes that the NUEA's initial attempt at leadership in distance education -- while reasoned and principled -- contained flaws that made failure inevitable.

Author (s): Ellen L. Bunker

Title: GAINING PERSPECTIVE FOR THE FUTURE OF DISTANCE EDUCATION FROM EARLY

LEADERS

Pages: 46-53

AbstractStudying examples of early, important leaders in the field of distance education enriches the professional knowledge of distance educators today. The International Council for Distance Education (ICDE), organized in 1938, offers examples of early leaders who provided vital guidance for the field. These leaders had a clear vision of the value of distance education and articulated this vision in such a way that others could understand and achieve it. Based on an analysis of the ICDE conference proceedings from 1938 to 1995, this paper highlights the work of a few early distance educators who served as leaders of ICDE (then called the International Council on Correspondence Education) in the first half of this century.

Author (s): Andrea J. Lee and Tracy G. Marsh

Title: JOINT VENTURES IN DISTANCE EDUCATION: MAPPING UNCHARTED TERRAIN

Pages: 54-62

Abstract

As greater numbers of universities and colleges enter the distance learning arena, strategic alliances between academic institutions and private sector businesses are increasing. Various models of academic/business alliances that emphasize the strength each partner brings to the collaboration have been discussed in the literature. This article proposes an alternative to these bipartite models: a tripartite model in which the academic institution, the business institution, and the students are equal partners in the learning process. Using cartography as a metaphor for this model, the strategic alliance between Marygrove College and Canter and Associates to provide a comprehensive distance learning master's degree program is discussed. The article describes the challenges this alliance has faced and offers prescriptions for continued success and future growth.Author (s): Thomas W. Smith

Title: DISTANCE EDUCATION IS A STRATEGY: WHAT IS THE OBJECTIVE?

Pages: 63-72

Abstract

The tools and techniques associated with distance education can be used to meet a number of social, political, or business goals and their accompanying educational or training objectives. Strategic planning is a means for developing and verifying the fit between distance education and its sponsoring goals. This paper reviews a number of strategic plans and the goals and objectives normally assigned to distance education and distinguishes the terms used in strategic thinking about distance education. This essay examines assumptions about adopting distance delivery of education and training by looking at distance education, not as an objective, but as a strategy that can potentially serve many educational objectives.THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF DISTANCE EDUCATION

VOLUME 12 NO. 3 - 1998

Author (s): Annette C. Sherry, Catherine P. Fulford, and Shuqiang Zhang

Title: ASSESSING DISTANCE LEARNERS' SATISFACTION WITH INSTRUCTION: A QUANTITATIVE AND A QUALITATIVE MEASURE

Pages: 4-28

AbstractTwo approaches to student-based evaluations were examined for their potential application to distance education. A study of the psychometric quality of the interaction survey -- a quantitative measure of interaction -- was initiated with eighty-four university distance learners. Also studied was a qualitative, interactive, formative evaluation approach, Small Group Instructional Diagnosis (SGID), in which a facilitator gathers data about instruction from students. Participants included thirty-nine distance education graduate students, twenty-nine traditionally-taught graduate students, forty-five traditionally-taught undergraduate students, and eight educators. Comparisons were made among groups in terms of overall effect and interactional instances of the SGID. Both evaluation approaches were examined regarding accuracy, utility, feasibility, and propriety standards. Accuracy and feasibility are emphasized with regard to the interaction survey and utility and feasibility with regard to the SGID. Results indicate the effectiveness of both approaches for assessing aspects of the instructional climate in the distance education classroom.

Author (s): Kathy J. Perdue and Thomas Valentine

Title: BELIEFS OF CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS TOWARD DISTANCE EDUCATION: A STATEWIDE GEORGIA SURVEY

Pages: 29-41

Abstract

Although distance education is experiencing rapid growth in the United States, there is little research that measures the beliefs of certified public accountants (CPAs) toward the use of distance education in obtaining continuing professional education (CPE). This study examined the beliefs of CPAs in the state of Georgia concerning the effectiveness of distance education in providing CPE. The basic findings indicate that CPAs in the state of Georgia believe distance education to be an effective mode of learning. In addition, they indicate that the technological capabilities necessary to participate in distance education are available to them. However, with the exception of print-based distance education, the percent of professional learning received via distance education is minimal. The results of this study may provide information beneficial to program planners of CPE.Author (s): Robert F. Curry, Roger G. Baldwin, and Martha Smith Sharpe

Title: ACADEMIC ADVISING IN BACCALAUREATE DISTANCE EDUCATION PROGRAMS

Pages: 42-52

Abstract

This study analyzed current academic advising practices of distance education programs. The following practices were analyzed: advisor-student communication, delivery systems, support or reference materials, required occasions for academic advising, group advising, and evaluation. A survey was used to collect data that yielded descriptive statistics on advising practices in distance education. Institutions selected for the sample had at least one baccalaureate degree program available at a distance using electronic delivery of instruction. Frequently reported advising practices included communicating by telephone, using faculty advisors, and providing advisors with academic planning worksheets. The study concludes with recommendations for implementing academic advising into distance education programs.Author (s): Roy Lundin

Title: BEING UNREAL: EPISTEMOLOGY, ONTOLOGY, AND PHENOMENOLOGY IN A

VIRTUAL EDUCATIONAL WORLD

Pages: 52-65

Abstract

This paper addresses new flexibility in educational programs and delivery in terms of the possibilities now available for extending the body and the mind through electronic communications. Issues are raised regarding what is true and the nature of reality in the virtual world of the Internet. Finally, the article discusses the ability of people to cope with these issues in terms of the education required, the development of 'information literacy', and the implications for personal responses to them. These ideas are developed within the context of the "World Brain/World Mind" concept first set forth by H. G. Wells in 1938.

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