This
study investigated the perceptions of
Chief Financial Officers and primary Distance Education Administrators on
economic and institutional decision-making factors influencing institutional
involvement in distance education, and the economic readiness criteria and business
plan components necessary for institutions to be strategically successful in
distance education. Data were collected via an online questionnaire from a
sample of 151 Carnegie Foundation Classified Doctoral/Research
Institutions—Extensive.
Responses from 80
institutions (31 Chief Financial Officers and 72 Distance Learning
Administrators) indicated that 78.6% of all institutions planned to increase
their institutional involvement in distance education and 19.4% planned to
maintain their current involvement in distance education.
This
study indicated that administrators should consider the role that economic and
other institution-related decision-making factors play in distance education,
particularly in assessing reasons for institutional involvement and plans to
not start, maintain or increase distance education activities. Statistically
significant relationships were found to exist between an institution’s plans
for not starting, maintaining or increasing distance education activities and
institutional demographics, institutional engagement, specific core values, and
distance education business plans. Economic factors were also found to impact
institutional involvement in distance education. Specifically, addressed were
institutional readiness criteria for successful involvement in distance
education, components of a business plan, and institutional assumptions about
distance and higher education.
The
predominant markets for Research I institutions are graduate (43.1%) and
undergraduate students (27.3%), and markets are selected primarily in
accordance with institution mission, support of the strategic plan, and to
address a specific market niche. Findings indicated that traditional core
values are either not influenced by distance education or positively influenced.
With respect to business plans, 25.2% indicated that no business plans were
present for distance education, 19.4% were not certain, with the remaining
reporting that business plans existed for university-wide and/or individual
initiative levels.
