Improve teaching quality and student performance
Many factors have influenced the educators and legislators that have made the decision to move into
DL. 
Initially it may be assumed that DL is viewed as the way to bring about significant improvements
in the state or local ratings of the school system but this has not been the case. A prime example is
Iowa whose school system is rated near the top nationally but it has made a significant investment
over the last four years in DL.
The more frequent reasons given are based on equity and geographic isolation. As Bradshaw and
Brown (1) cite, "an estimated one third of the country’s school children get an inadequate education
because of limited staff and resources related to small school size and geographic isolation." Another
key reason cited is the shortage of mathematics and science teachers. For school district
administrators the advantage is the ability to use resources more efficiently and effectively without
relocating staff. For whatever reason, many DL projects have been initiated over the last decade with
mixed results.
In study after study, the single message that appears is that "poorly designed distance learning
systems do not work." Frequently cited is the lack of adequate training for the teachers in the
effective use of video technology and release time to develop DL course material (programming). An
early example of this was in the Learn Alaska Network where over $30 million was spent on an
extensive DL network in 1982. Four years later the system shut down. Comments at the time cited
initial cost, underfunding of operations, ineffective governing structure, grossly inadequate
underfunding of programming, and clashes between the educators and broadcasters over production
quality.
This experience has not dimmed the vision that many educators and legislators have for DL. Perhaps
the most ambitious project in progress is in Iowa where the state is in the middle of a four-year $96
million initiative to bring 500 schools and 100 libraries on-line in a full fiber-optics video network.
Other states have extensive projects in progress as well:
- Delaware will spend $30 million to build a fiber optic network that will link students in its 7000 public schools.
- In Florida, the legislature increased appropriations for school technology from $36 million in 1993 to $135 million in 1994 and $128 million in 1995.
- California, Georgia, and Indiana have ordered telecommunications companies to offset consumer overcharges into education-based communications initiatives.
- Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Ohio, and Texas have established networks for teachers.
- In many states, regulatory commissions require preferential rates on telecommunications services for schools. Louisiana requires that schools be charged the lower consumer rates. Missouri mandates an educational institution discount of 15%. Texas rates must be 25% below normal charges for distance learning.
Over the last fifteen years, a general consensus on what is required to implement a successful DL
system has evolved. This includes:
- An explicit educational need or goal.
- Clear understanding of the target audience (students, state department and/or agency staff, health care workers, etc.).
- Early involvement of key parties.
- A well structured governance arrangement with ownership and commitment by key participants (education departments, state agencies, legislators).
- Careful selection of teachers that are comfortable with video and graphics technology and the dynamics of DL.
- Effective and adequately funded training program for teachers and system support personnel.
- Multimedia support (graphics, images, sound, computers).
- Adequate project funding (start up, growth, maintenance, evolution).
- Ownership of system objectives, goals, operations, support by "customer groups" (public schools, community colleges, universities, state departments and agencies).
- Cooperation and partnership with public service providers (local, interexchange telecommunications carriers).
Rural, urban, and inner-city schools increasingly face the difficulty of offering advanced courses with
teachers with a generalist background. Students face ever higher expectations upon graduation both
in the job market and in college entrance requirements.
DL can provide a quality education when resources and qualified specialist teachers are not available
locally. It also introduces into the educational system technologies that are becoming a requirement
for success in the local, national, and international marketplace.
