Perceptions of Distance Learning Among Faculty of a College of Education

Students and employers laud distance education for its usefulness in overcoming obstacles like location and family and work schedules. College and university administrators hail its cost effectiveness and its usefulness in facilitating enrollment increases. However, faculty members do not necessarily share this enthusiasm. Since the role of faculty members is crucial to the successful implementation of any education program, it is important to understand why faculty members may be reluctant to embrace the non-traditional modes of course delivery standard to distance education. In order to better understand this dynamic, a qualitative study was conducted among faculty of a College of Education at a public regional university located in south Texas to ascertain faculty perception of value and viability of distance education in their context. The results of this study indicate that faculty members studied do not uniformly recognize or embrace the use of distance education. These findings are discussed and recommendations for this College of Education are derived from the analysis.