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Many individuals who have adult roles--including full-time employment, childcare, elder care, community responsibilities–do not engage in education as their primary activity. Although they may desire or desperately require additional education, their responsibilities preclude attending a campus-based program. These students are on average older that our campus-based students. They frequently have important professional positions and have others that count on them. These “non-traditional” students tend to be self-motivated and have a decreased need for the campus experience. Yet they can learn effectively at a distance and develop personally and professionally. You will find that these non-traditional learners, given their life experiences, will bring a unique and valuable perspective to your courses and will provide added value to your campus contingent. Reaching out to this population is an important aspect of the mission of Auburn University.

While the University supports distance education activities and eagerly desires to serve non-traditional students via this mode, it is understood that mounting such an effort requires a special commitment of the faculty involved and of the department. No academic unit should go into a distance education venture without carefully considering the responsibilities it is assuming. Developing, implementing, and maintaining a distance education program will take a substantial commitment of time, energy and resources to properly serve distance students with quality instruction. It also requires the cooperation with and coordination of a number of other offices and personnel in order to assemble the services necessary to be successful.

The constituent elements involved in the development of a new distance education program are varied and many. First, you have to be convinced that there is an audience and sufficient demand for a distance education program. If you determine that there is, you must assemble or create all the associated academic and support services to effectively and efficiently serve a student population away from campus with the usual services that our campus students access. Developing a distance education program is akin to creating a mini university. Fortunately, a number of support offices have already arranged their services especially for distance students, so part of the trail has already been blazed for you. Departments, such as the Distance Learning Office, the Library, and Student Affairs, are available to assist in rounding out the services you will need to support your students. In the early stages of your program design and development consult with the various offices associated with the services your students will need.

Auburn University has assembled a guide for those faculty who wish to offer distance education courses and programs. Included in the Comprehensive Policies and Procedures for Distance Education (PDF) are standards for program and course design, faculty role and support, academic and support services, financial management, evaluation and assessment, and the review processes. You should familiarize yourself with these guidelines as you consider your distance education activity. Section I of the document provides standards of practice; Sections II and III respectively provide course and program development and review procedures.

Part of the role of the Distance Learning Office is to provide consultation services to faculty for distance education course and program design, development, review and approval, implementation, and reporting. The Office also makes available flexible support services to departments mounting a distance education effort.

The appropriate selection of technology is accomplished after a careful consideration of the target audience’s skills and access to specific technology and after a careful consideration of the curriculum. The proper technology for delivery of a distance education program is that technology which best affords an effective instructional environment for the faculty member and a effective learning environment for the students. Typically, a combination of technologies is used within a course or program. You should determine the technological infrastructure present in your department and college for the support of distance education and then determine what you might need to fully support your intended program technically. You will also need the time and effort of trained technical staff to aid you and your students in your offerings. If your academic unit does not offer the appropriate technological infrastructure, consult with the Distance Learning Office and with The Office of Information Technology about your requirements and choices.

Once you have determined that a need and a demand exists for a distance education program, once you have considered and accepted the commitment necessary to properly support such a program and you have the support of your academic unit and colleagues, once you have reviewed and have committed to the standards of practice, you are then ready to prepare a program proposal. Assistance for the preparation of this program proposal is available from the Distance Learning Office. The proposal is reviewed and approved by your department, your school or college, the University Curriculum Committee and – if at the graduate level – the Graduate Council, and the Administration. Upon approval of you program and its tuition rate, you are ready to begin designing and developing your individual courses. Each course is reviewed through a process similar to that of the program process. (See Section II, Course Design, Development, and Review, in the Comprehensive Policies and Procedures for Distance Education Courses and Programs)

Periodically, as funds permit, University Outreach offers competitive grants for the initiation of distance education courses or programs. Grants are usually awarded for a one- or two-year period to allow for the establishment of a new degree program or for the offering of a special noteworthy course or short-term activity. Announcements are sent to all faculty and academic administrators when a funding opportunity is offered.

Credit programs are the top priority for distance education at Auburn University. Of particular interest at present is the development of an undergraduate program via distance education. Additionally, individual credit courses or non-credit professional development courses and certificate programs are also of interest.