Conducting a Distance Education Course When You Are the Distant One

Abstract

There has been a great deal of discussion in PS: Political Science & Politics concerning the development, use, and evaluation of distance education courses delivered via the Internet (Young 1998; Botsch and Botsch 2001; Pollock and Wilson 2002). While the literature in this new area of teaching instruction varies in terms of its focus and recommendations, one common assumption is that the delivery of the distance education course is accomplished while the faculty member is on campus. For example, Young (1998) does an excellent job of describing how university resources can be utilized in the gradual process of incorporating technology to develop a “cyberclass.” The analysis of Botsch and Botsch (2001) concerning outcomes in online and traditional courses was based on online courses offered during the regular semester as part of the normal teaching load.