Distance learning: Barriers and strategies for students and faculty

Abstract Clearly education in the online environment of distance education has unique characteristics. Students and faculty who operate in this environment encounter various barriers to their success that do not exist in the traditional face-to-face classroom. Some of these barriers include characteristics of adult learners themselves, teaching strategies that allow success in other environments but do not translate to faculty success in the online world, and the barriers created by the technology itself and how students and faculty use it. Walden University has gathered quantitative evaluation data, and qualitative anecdotal data on their asynchronous, online program at the master's level. These data, combined with an extensive literature review, address both the success and the failure of students and faculty in this environment. This paper discusses the failures and barriers to success, and in addition offers possible strategies for institutions using online delivery models in an effort to assure greater success to both students and faculty.