Managing and Leading in a Distance Education Organization Ch. Objectives

4.1 Describe the functions of a distance education administrator in each of the four subsystems of a distance education system.

The administrative functions are to provide strategic leadership and direction, conduct program analysis, maintains the organizational website ensures availability and responsiveness for all student support requirements  and ensures fiscal responsibility for online courses and programs.

4.2 Describe the major national, regional, and local issues that affect distance education programs.

The things that affect the different levels are financial aid, how distance education is being taught and telecommunications.

4.3 List and explain the significant areas of cost in the development, delivery, and evaluation of distance education programs.

Distance education is expensive. Personnel costs typically are the majority of the total budgets for distance education programs. Even if these costs are prorated portions of the organizational budget, they can be extraordinary, depending on the size of the program. When budgets get cut development and delivery was cut first.

4.4 Describe a successful program for training faculty to teach effectively in a distance education environment.

A successful and effective curriculum should include the unique attributes and needs of distance learners, assessments of students at a distance, course evaluation, course management factors such as office hours, course instructional design for distance delivery and effective use of embedded technologies.

4.5 Explain how the federal and state governments and accreditation agencies evaluate distance education programs.

Their primary emphasis is on program quality, to protect the public from diploma mills. The federal government evaluates it by student financial aid, copyright, school and public access, and data gathering. The state governments evaluate it having students participate in lab or clinical at an in state site and the instruction participates in in-state college affairs. The regional accreditation agencies in particular are rapidly becoming distance education administrations best friends in promoting distance education and upholding quality standards.

4.6 Explain how access and accessibility issues should influence distance education programs.

The web can be an important tool for disabled students. Students at a distance, however, can be  a greater disadvantage if they are without easy access to campus based disability resources and advocacy for accessible web resources.

4.7 Explain how intellectual property issues should be addressed at the local level.

In the absence the ownership of online courses or course materials developed by a teacher should be specified in the employment contract or collective bargaining agreement. The best thing to do before questions become issues is to develop an organizational intellectual policy to which all parties agree.