How the Perspectives of Administrators, Faculty, and Support Units Impact the Rate of Distance Education Adoption

As higher education institutions increase the use of technology to further distance education initiatives, it is important to recognize the role that perspectives within the institution play in formulating a strategy for effective development and implementation of distance education. This study seeks to provide insight to these perspectives by examining the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (Goodstein, Nolan & Pfeiffer, 1993) associated with using distance education (DE) technologies from the perspective of administrators, faculty, and support units within higher education. Analysis revealed that respondents recognized the opportunity to utilize DE technologies to improve instruction and reach new audiences through collaboration and new courses/programs, however, needs were expressed to expand policies/procedures to address critical issues (e.g., incentives, support, training, quality control, careers, and communication channels). The perspectives of administrators, faculty and support units were not found to be dramatically different, in fact many of the perspectives were the same. Based on Rogers' attributes (1995), it was concluded that the rate of adoption of DE technologies could be enhanced through revised policies/procedures and the development of strategies to address critical issues.