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education courses, the number of distance
education courses offered, the number of
enrollments in distance education courses, the
availability of distance education degree and
certificate programs, and the technologies used to
deliver distance education courses. Findings
indicate that:
· Between fall 1995 and 1997–98, the
percentage of higher education institutions
offering distance education courses increased
by about one-third, from 33 percent to 44
percent (table 21). From 1994–95 to 1997–
98, the number of course offerings and
enrollments in distance education approxi-
3 The first PEQIS study, conducted in fall 1995, sometimes asked for
information about the current time frame (i.e., fall 1995), and
sometimes asked for information about academic year 1994–95.
Thus, both dates appear in the discussion of the results.
mately doubled (tables 22 and 23). And,
although the percentages of institutions
offering distance education degree and
certificate programs were essentially the same
in 1997–98 as in 1995, the number of degree
and certificate programs that were offered
nearly doubled (table 24). Taken together,
these findings suggest that the expansion in
distance education appears to be among
institutions that have offered distance
education for the past 3 years. These
institutions have substantially increased the
number of distance education courses,
enrollments, and degree and certificate
programs that they offer.
· Among all higher education institutions
offering any distance education, the
percentages of institutions using two-way
interactive video and one-way prerecorded
video were essentially the same in 1997–98
as in 1995. The percentage of institutions
using asynchronous Internet-based technologies,
however, nearly tripled, from 22
percent of institutions in 1995 to 60 percent
of institutions in 1997–98 (table 25) 4.
Conclusions
This PEQIS report presents findings for the 12-
month 1997–98 academic year about the status of
distance education in all postsecondary education
institutions. It also includes an analysis of trends
in distance education since 1994–95 for the
subset of higher education institutions. In the
most general terms, it finds that distance
education appears to have become a common
feature of many postsecondary education institutions
and that, by their own accounts, it will
become only more common in the future.
While findings from this report will help to
inform stakeholders—including individuals
considering a postsecondary education, faculty
4 In 1997–98, the wording of the computer-based technologies was
changed to more accurately reflect how these technologies are
used. For this comparison, other computer-based technology (e.g.,
Internet) is considered to be approximately equivalent to Internet
courses using asynchronous computer-based instruction.
vii
and administrators at postsecondary institutions,
providers of technologies used for distance
education, and policymakers at federal, state, and
local levels—they do not address many of the
questions about distance education. These
questions include issues related to:
· equity of access to postsecondary education,
· the costs of developing and implementing
distance education programs,
· accreditation of and quality assurance in
distance education programs,
· copyright and intellectual property rights,
· changes and challenges facing the role of
postsecondary faculty, and
· pressures on existing organizational structures
and arrangements.
It is a dynamic time for postsecondary education
institutions facing the opportunities and
challenges brought by technological innovation.
As Gladieux and Swail (1999) assert: given the
fact that computer and related technologies are
evolving so quickly—and new providers and
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