Faculty Directions, Fall 2006 - A Message from Clemson's Distance Education Manager

Editor's Note: Kathy Hoellen joined Educational Technology Services as the manager of distance education in July. She received her MA from Clemson University and is a former member of the ETS team. She comes to us from a Florida college where she managed distance education for six years. To find out more about distance education at Clemson University, go to the Distance Education web site. 

I recently participated in an audioconference titled "Managing Distance Learning in Higher Education" through the University of Wisconsin-Madison. We discussed many challenges but one area stood out to me as most useful in my own approach to distance education. David Brigham of Walden University spoke of his focus on two questions:

1. What is distance education's impact on our students?
2. What is distance education's impact on the institution?

Numbers tell one side of distance education and they show a steady, even sometimes staggering, growth. The two questions above, however, force us to look beyond enrollment numbers. They encourage us to examine a bigger picture that includes student and faculty satisfaction and support, student retention, institutional culture, institutional communication, and quality. Taking this examination one step further, they force us to consider perceptions and expectations.

One day I complained to my husband about the price of gasoline. He pointed out to me that I was paying $32 a gallon for coffee (at a popular coffee chain near my house). Sometimes we think we have a clear understanding of the important issues only to be surprised by another person's perception. I began to think about distance education from the perspectives of students, faculty and my institution and to question my own understanding of those perceptions and expectations. I realized that it is important not to allow your personal perceptions to become misperceptions due to lack of information. To effectively manage distance education at Clemson University, it will be important to understand perceptions, clarify expectations and set common strategic goals. As a member of Clemson's ETS team, I look forward to working with you on such an important project.