educational program must be constructed in such a way that it is notsimply a consumer item but rather allows for growth and development (Phipps & Merisotis, 2006). Much of the process is tied to the kinds of support offered to students and the possibilities for dialogue and engagement presented by the course and the instructor.


Viability of Key Respondents Representing Institution’s Position When Using a Survey

In the international arena, the Open University in the United Kingdom, a well-known leader in distance learning, planned to have an online component to all of its courses (Rowntree, 1999). Hutchinson (1999) reported that a European Union (EU) initiative that has resulted in the creation of ERASMUS ICP Online, a transnational university that serves ten countries. At a meeting of the Western Governor's Association in December of 1999, eleven western states endorsed the notion of a virtual university to serve their region and permit interstate sharing of teaching resources (Davies, 2002; Johnstone & Krauth, 2001). The National Technological University, University of Phoenix and the Graduate School of America are a few examples of institutions serving as alternate providers of education (Davies, 2002).

Distance learning programs in most universities are employing the web as a delivery mechanism. Additionally, increasingly universities are providing web-based educational experiences for their on-campus students (Erazo & Derlin, 1999; Hanna, 2003; Oblinger, 2002; Mayadas, 2002). The State University of New York (SUNY) Learning Network has a growing list of 19 campuses that offer graduate and undergraduate courses in a variety of subjects (SUNY, 2002). The American Council on Higher Education indicated that a number of options are available to students who want to gain a degree through online distance learning (Spille, Stewart &. Sullivan, 2002).

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