Among all institutions, including those with no future plans to offer distance education courses, factors frequently reported as keeping the institution from starting or expanding their distance education course offerings to a major extent were program development costs (43 percent), limited technological infrastructure to support distance education (31 percent), and equipment failures and costs of maintaining equipment (23 percent). However, in general, most factors were not perceived to be major hindrances keeping institutions from starting or expanding their distance education offerings.

Survey Methodology and Data Reliability

Postsecondary Education Quick Information System

The Postsecondary Education Quick Information System (PEQIS) was established in 1991 by the National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education. PEQIS is designed to conduct brief surveys of postsecondary institutions or state higher education agencies on postsecondary education topics of national importance. Surveys are generally limited to two or three pages of questions, with a response burden of about 30 minutes per respondent. Most PEQIS institutional surveys use a previously recruited, nationally representative panel of institutions. The sampling frame for the PEQIS panel recruited in 1992 was constructed from the 1990-91 Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) Institutional Characteristics file. Institutions eligible for the PEQIS frame for the panel recruited in 1992 included 2-year and 4-year (including graduate-level) institutions (both institutions of higher education and other postsecondary institutions), and less-than-2-year institutions of higher education located in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico: a total of 5,317 institutions.

The PEQIS sampling frame for the panel recruited in 1992 was stratified by instructional level (4-year, 2-year, less-than-2-year), control (public, private nonprofit, private for-profit), highest level of offering (doctor's/first professional, master's, bachelor's, less than bachelor's), total enrollment, and status as either an institution of higher education or other postsecondary institution. Within each of the strata, institutions were sorted by region (Northeast, Southeast, Central, West), whether the institution had a relatively high minority enrollment, and whether the institution had research expenditures exceeding $1 million. The sample of 1,665 institutions was allocated to the strata in proportion to the aggregate square root of full-timeequivalent enrollment. Institutions within a stratum were sampled with equal probabilities of selection. During panel recruitment, 50 institutions were found to be ineligible for PEQIS, primarily because they had closed or offered just correspondence courses. The final unweighted response rate at the end of PEQIS panel recruitment in spring 1992 was 98 percent (1,576 of the 1,615 eligible institutions). The weighted response rate for panel recruitment was 96 percent.

Each institution in the PEQIS panel was asked to identify a campus representative to serve as survey coordinator. The campus representative facilitates data collection by identifying the appropriate respondent for each survey and forwarding the questionnaire to that person.

Sample and Response Rates

The sample for this survey consisted of all of the 2-year and 4-year (including graduate-level) higher education institutions in the PEQIS panel, for a sample of 1,276 institutions. In late September 1995, questionnaires (see appendix B) were mailed to the PEQIS coordinators at the institutions. Coordinators were told that the survey was designed to be completed by the person(s) at the institution most knowledgeable about the institution’s distance education courses.

Two institutions were found to be out of the scope of the survey because they were closed, leaving 1,274 eligible institutions. These 1,274 institutions represent the universe of approximately 3,460 2-year and 4-year (including graduate-level) higher education institutions in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Telephone followup of nonrespondents was initiated in late October 1995; data collection and clarification was completed in late January 1996. For the eligible institutions that received surveys, an unweighted response rate of 94 percent (1,203 responding institutions divided by the 1,274 eligible institutions in the sample) was obtained. The weighted response rate for this survey was 96 percent. The unweighted overall response rate was 92 percent (97.6 percent panel recruitment participation rate multiplied by the 94.4 percent survey response rate). The weighted overall response rate was 92 percent (96.1 percent weighted panel recruitment participation rate multiplied by the 95.6 percent weighted survey response rate).

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