Institutions were asked how many of their distance education courses were designed primarily for each type of student. They were instructed not to double count courses (i.e., if a course was designed for more than one type of student, they were to count it for the group for which it was primarily designed). Institutions offered 15,680 courses designed primarily for undergraduate students and 7,590 courses designed primarily for graduate students (Table 7). Institutions offered many fewer courses primarily designed for other types of students. Public 2-year institutions offered more courses designed primarily for undergraduate students and public 4-year institutions offered more courses designed primarily for graduate students than did other types of institutions.

Individuals Targeted for Distance Education Courses

Professionals seeking recertification and other workers seeking skill updating or retraining were targeted by more institutions that offered distance education courses in fall 1995 than were other types of individuals (Table 8). Thirty-nine percent of institutions that offered distance education courses in fall 1995 targeted professionals seeking recertification, and 49 percent targeted other workers seeking skill updating or retraining. About 15 percent of institutions targeted individuals with disabilities, military personnel, and other types of individuals. Non-English-speaking individuals and Native Americans/Alaskan Natives on tribal lands were targeted by 3 percent and 7 percent of institutions, respectively. Public 4-year institutions were more likely than other types of institutions to target professionals seeking recertification and other workers seeking skill updating or retraining.

Primary Course Developers

Three-quarters of the higher education institutions that offered distance education courses in fall 1995 used distance education course curricula developed by the institution’s subject area departments or schools (Table 9). Courses developed by commercial or noncommercial vendors were used by 30 percent of the institutions. Courses from other types of developers were each used by 12 percent or fewer of the institutions. More public 2-year institutions than public and private 4-year institutions used courses developed by commercial or noncommercial vendors, while more public and private 4-year than public 2-year institutions used courses developed by the institution’s subject area departments or schools.

Institutions were asked how many of their distance education course curricula were developed primarily by various types of developers. Institutions were instructed not to double count courses, i.e., they were to count each course only once and to count it for its primary developer. Two-thirds of the distance education courses offered in fall 1995 were developed by the institution’s subject area departments or schools, and 18 percent were developed by commercial or noncommercial vendors (Figure 4). Each of the other types of developers composed 5 percent or fewer of the distance education courses.

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