on at Degree-Granting Postsecondary Institutions: 2000-2001 2003

U.S. Department of EducationInstitute of Education SciencesNCES 2003-017

E.D. Tabs
Distance Education 

at Degree-Granting 

Postsecondary 

Institutions: 2000–2001 

U.S. Department of Education 

Institute of Education Sciences 

NCES 2003-017 

E.D. Tabs 

July 2003

Tiffany Waits 

Laurie Lewis 

Westat 

Bernard Greene 

Project Officer 

National Center 

for Education Statistics 
U.S. Department of Education

Rod Paige

Secretary

Institute of Education Sciences

Grover J. Whitehurst

Director

National Center for Education Statistics

Val Plisko

Associate Commissioner

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the primary federal entity for collecting, analyzing, 

and reporting data related to education in the United States and other nations. It fulfills a congressional 

mandate to collect, collate, analyze, and report full and complete statistics on the condition of education in 

the United States; conduct and publish reports and specialized analyses of the meaning and significance 

of such statistics; assist state and local education agencies in improving their statistical systems; and 

review and report on education activities in foreign countries.

NCES activities are designed to address high priority education data needs; provide consistent, reliable, 

complete, and accurate indicators of education status and trends; and report timely, useful, and high 

quality data to the U.S. Department of Education, the Congress, the states, other education policymakers, 

practitioners, data users, and the general public.

We strive to make our products available in a variety of formats and in language that is appropriate to a 

variety of audiences. You, as our customer, are the best judge of our success in communicating 

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or report, we would like to hear from you. Please direct your comments to:

National Center for Education Statistics

Institute of Education Sciences

U.S. Department of Education

1990 K Street NW

Washington, DC 20006

July 2003

The NCES World Wide Web Home Page is: http://nces.ed.gov

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Suggested Citation

U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. Distance Education at DegreeGranting Postsecondary Institutions: 2000–2001, NCES 2003-017, by Tiffany Waits and Laurie Lewis. 

Project Officer: Bernard Greene. Washington, DC: 2003.

Content Contact:

Bernie Greene

(202) 502-7348

Bernard.Greene@ed.gov
iii

Executive Summary

Introduction

This study, conducted through the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Postsecondary 

Education Quick Information System (PEQIS), was designed to provide current national estimates on 

distance education at 2-year and 4-year Title IV-eligible, degree-granting institutions. Distance education 

was defined for this study as education or training courses delivered to remote (off-campus) sites via 

audio, video (live or prerecorded), or computer technologies, including both synchronous (i.e., 

simultaneous) and asynchronous (i.e., not simultaneous) instruction.

Key Findings

The PEQIS survey provides national estimates for the 2000–2001 academic year on the number 

and proportion of institutions offering distance education courses, distance education enrollments and 

course offerings, degree and certificate programs, distance education technologies, participation in

distance education consortia, accommodations for students with disabilities, distance education program 

goals, and factors institutions identify as keeping them from starting or expanding distance education 

offerings.

Institutions Offering Distance Education Courses

During the 12-month 2000–2001 academic year, 56 percent (2,320) of all 2-year and 4-year Title 

IV-eligible, degree-granting institutions offered distance education courses for any level or audience, (i.e., 

courses designed for all types of students, including elementary and secondary, college, adult education, 

continuing and professional education, etc.) (figure 1 and table 1). Twelve percent of all institutions 

indicated that they planned to start offering distance education courses in the next 3 years; 31 percent did 

not offer distance education courses in 2000–2001 and did not plan to offer these types of courses in the 

next 3 years.

Public institutions were more likely to offer distance education courses than were private

institutions. In 2000–2001, 90 percent of public 2-year and 89 percent of public 4-year institutions 

offered distance education courses, compared with 16 percent of private 2-year and 40 percent of private 

4-year institutions (table 1). 

College-level, credit-granting distance education courses at either the undergraduate or

graduate/first-professional level were offered by 55 percent of all 2-year and 4-year institutions (table 3). 

College-level, credit-granting distance education courses were offered at the undergraduate level by 48 

percent of all institutions, and at the graduate level by 22 percent of all institutions.
iv

Fifty-two percent of institutions that had undergraduate programs offered credit-granting distance 

education courses at the undergraduate level (table 3).1Further, college-level, credit-granting distance 

education courses were offered at the graduate/first-professional level by 52 percent of institutions that 

had graduate/first-professional programs (table 3). 

Distance Education Enrollments and Course Offerings

In the 12-month 2000–2001 academic year, there were an estimated 3,077,000 enrollments in all 

distance education courses offered by 2-year and 4-year institutions (table 4). There were an estimated 

2,876,000 enrollments in college-level, credit-granting distance education courses, with 82 percent of 

these at the undergraduate level (figure 2).

Consistent with the distributions of the percentage of institutions that offered distance education 

courses, most of the distance education course enrollments were in public 2-year and public 4-year 

institutions. Public 2-year institutions had the greatest number of enrollments in distance education 

courses, with 1,472,000 out of 3,077,000, or 48 percent of the total enrollments in distance education 

(figure 3 and table 4). Public 4-year institutions had 945,000 enrollments (31 percent of the total), and 

private 4-year institutions had 589,000 enrollments (19 percent of the total).2

About a quarter (22 percent) of institutions that offered distance education in 2000–2001 had 100 

or fewer distance education enrollments, and 30 percent had 101 to 500 enrollments (figure 4 and table 5). 

In addition, 16 percent had 501 to 1,000 enrollments, 17 percent reported enrollments of 1,001 to 2,500, 

and 15 percent reported more than 2,500 enrollments for the 2000–2001 academic year.

An estimated 127,400 different distance education courses for any level or audience were offered 

by 2- and 4-year institutions during the 12-month 2000–2001 academic year (table 6). An estimated 

118,100 different college-level, credit-granting distance education courses were offered, with 76 percent 

at the undergraduate level.

Of the institutions that offered distance education courses in 2000–2001, about a quarter (27 

percent) offered 10 or fewer courses, and 25 percent offered 11 to 30 courses (figure 5 and table 7). In 

addition, 15 percent of the institutions offered 31 to 50 courses, 19 percent offered 51 to 100 courses, and 

15 percent offered more than 100 distance education courses.

Degree and Certificate Programs

Among all 2- and 4-year institutions in 2000–2001, 19 percent had degree or certificate programs 

designed to be completed totally through distance education (table 8). Among the 56 percent of

institutions that offered distance education courses, 34 percent had degree or certificate programs 

designed to be completed totally through distance education. Institutions were more likely to offer 

 

1

 Institutions can be characterized by whether they have any undergraduate programs or graduate/first-professional programs (either on campus or 

distance education). These programs are identified by the 2000 Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, “Institutional Characteristics 

Survey” (IPEDS–IC:2000). These programs, as identified by IPEDS, should not be confused with the level of distance education course 

offerings. Of the estimated 4,130 Title IV degree-granting institutions at the 2-year or 4-year level, 3,810 institutions have undergraduate 

programs, and 1,700 have graduate/first -professional programs; 1,380 of the institutions have programs at both levels.

2

 Data for private 2-year institutions are not reported in a separate category because too few private 2-year institutions in the sample offered 

distance education courses in 2000–2001 to make reliable estimates. Data for private 2-year institutions are included in the totals and in 

analyses by other institutional characteristics.
v

distance education degree programs than certificate programs. Among the institutions that offered

distance education courses in 2000–2001, 30 percent offered degree programs and 16 percent offered 

certificate programs (table 8).

Among institutions that offered distance education courses, public 4-year institutions were most

likely (48 percent) to offer degree programs designed to be completed totally through distance education, 

followed by private 4-year institutions (33 percent) and public 2-year institutions (20 percent) (table 8). 

With regard to certificate programs, 25 percent of public 4-year institutions that offered distance

education courses had certificate programs designed to be completed totally through distance education, 

compared with 15 percent of public 2-year and 14 percent of private 4-year institutions.

Distance Education Technologies

The Internet and two video technologies were most often used as primary modes of instructional 

delivery for distance education courses by institutions during the 12-month 2000–2001 academic year. 

Among institutions offering distance education courses, the majority (90 percent) reported that they

offered Internet courses using asynchronous computer-based instruction (table 10). In addition, 43 percent 

of institutions that offered distance education courses offered Internet courses using synchronous

computer-based instruction, 51 percent used two-way video with two-way audio, and 41 percent used 

one-way prerecorded video as a primary mode of instructional delivery for distance education courses.

3

 

Further, of the institutions offering distance education courses, 29 percent used CD-ROM as a primary 

mode of instructional delivery and 19 percent used multi-mode packages. 

Of the institutions that offered distance education courses in 2000–2001 or that planned to offer 

distance education courses in the next 3 years, 88 percent indicated plans to start using or increase the 

number of Internet courses using asynchronous computer-based instruction as a primary mode of 

instructional delivery for distance education courses (table 11). In addition, 62 percent of institutions 

indicated that they planned to start using or increase the number of Internet courses using synchronous 

computer-based instruction as a primary mode of instructional delivery, 40 percent planned to start using 

or increase the number of courses using two-way video with two-way audio, 39 percent planned to start 

using or increase the number of courses using CD-ROMs, and 31 percent planned to start using or 

increase the number of courses using multi-mode packages. About a quarter (23 percent) planned to start 

using or increase the number of courses using one-way prerecorded video. 

Participation in Distance Education Consortia

Among the institutions that offered distance education in 2000–2001, 60 percent participated in 

some type of distance education consortium (figure 6 and table 13). Of those institutions that participated 

in a distance education consortium, 75 percent indicated that they participated in a state consortium, 50 

percent in a system consortium (a consortium within a single university system or community college 

district), 27 percent in a regional consortium, 14 percent in a national consortium, and 4 percent in an 

international consortium.

Public 2-year institutions were more likely than either public or private 4-year institutions to 

participate in some type of distance education consortium. Eighty-three percent of public 2-year 

 

3

 Percentages sum to more than 100 because institutions could use different types of technologies as primary modes of instructional delivery for 

different distance education courses.
vi

institutions reported that they participated in a consortium, compared with 68 percent of public 4-year 

institutions and 25 percent of private 4-year institutions (table 13).

Accommodations for Students With Disabilities

Of the 2- and 4-year institutions that offered distance education courses in 2000–2001, 45 percent 

had occasionally received requests in the last 3 years to provide accommodations in distance education 

courses for students with disabilities, 37 percent reported never receiving this type of request, 15 percent 

did not know if they had received requests for accommodations in the last 3 years, and 3 percent received 

requests frequently (table 14).

Almost all (95 percent) 2- and 4-year institutions that offered distance education courses in 2000–

2001 indicated that they had used web sites for their distance education courses (table 15). Of the 

institutions that had used web sites for distance education courses, 18 percent indicated that they followed 

established accessibility guidelines or recommendations for users with disabilities to a major extent, 28 

percent followed the guidelines to a moderate extent, 18 percent followed the guidelines to a minor 

extent, 3 percent did not follow the guidelines at all, and 33 percent did not know if the web sites 

followed accessibility guidelines.

Distance Education Program Goals

Of those institutions that offered distance education courses in 2000–2001, a majority reported that 

increasing student access in various ways was a very important goal of their institution’s distance

education program. Sixty-nine percent of the institutions indicated that increasing student access by 

making courses available at convenient locations was very important, and 67 percent reported that 

increasing student access by reducing time constraints for course-taking was very important (table 16). In 

addition, 36 percent reported that making educational opportunities more affordable for students, another 

aspect of student access, was a very important goal of their distance education program. 

On issues related to institutional enrollment and cost, 65 percent of institutions offering distance 

education indicated that increasing the institution’s access to new audiences was very important, 60 

percent reported that increasing institution enrollments was very important, and 15 percent reported that 

reducing the institution’s per-student costs was very important (table 16). In addition, improving the 

quality of course offerings was considered to be an important goal for 57 percent of the institutions, and 

meeting the needs of local employers was rated as very important by 37 percent of the institutions.

In general, institutions reported that most of the goals they considered to be important for their 

distance education programs were being met to a moderate or major extent. Increasing student access by 

making courses available at convenient locations was reported to have been met to a major extent by 37 

percent of institutions that considered it an important goal, and increasing student access by reducing time 

constraints for course-taking was reported to have been met to a major extent by 32 percent of institutions 

that considered it an important goal (table 16).

Institutions that reported that a particular goal was very important to their distance education 

program more often indicated that the goal had been met to a major extent compared with institutions that 

reported the goal as somewhat important, while institutions that reported a goal as somewhat important 

more frequently indicated that the goal had been met to a minor extent compared with institutions that 

rated the goal as very important (table 18).
vii

Factors That Keep Institutions From Starting or Expanding Distance Education Offerings

All institutions, including those with no future plans to offer distance education courses, were 

asked to rate the extent to which each of 15 factors was keeping them from starting or expanding their 

distance education course offerings. The response categories were “not at all,” “minor extent,” “moderate 

extent,” and “major extent.” Institutions did not consider most of the factors listed to be keeping them 

from starting or expanding their distance education course offerings. However, 26 percent of institutions 

reported that program development costs kept their institution from starting or expanding their distance 

education course offerings to a major extent (table 19).

Whether an institution offered distance education courses, or whether the institution planned to 

offer these courses in the next 3 years, was related to whether some factors were perceived to be keeping 

institutions from starting or expanding their distance education course offerings to a major extent. For

institutions that did not plan to offer distance education in the next 3 years, factors perceived as keeping 

these institutions from starting distance education to a major extent included lack of fit with the 

institution’s mission (44 percent), program development costs (33 percent), concerns about course quality

(26 percent), limited technological infrastructure to support distance education (24 percent), and lack of 

perceived need (22 percent) (table 20). Except for program development costs, these factors were 

generally not perceived to be limiting the expansion of distance education courses to a major extent for 

institutions that offered distance education in 2000–2001.
viii
ix

Table of Contents

Section Page

Executive Summary..................................................................................................... iii

Introduction ................................................................................................................ 1

Selected Findings......................................................................................................... 3

Institutions Offering Distance Education Courses................................................... 3

Type and Level of Distance Education Offerings ........................................ 4

Enrollments and Course Offerings ......................................................................... 5

Enrollment in Distance Education Courses................................................. 5

Number of Distance Education Courses..................................................... 8

Degree and Certificate Programs........................................................................... 9

Institutions Offering Degree and Certificate Programs ................................ 10

Number of Degree and Certificate Programs............................................... 10

Distance Education Technologies.......................................................................... 11

Technologies Used in 2000–2001 .............................................................. 11

Plans for Use of Technologies................................................................... 12

Participation in Distance Education Consortia ........................................................ 13

Accommodations for Students With Disabilities..................................................... 14

Requests to Provide Accommodations ....................................................... 14

Web Site Accessibility .............................................................................. 15

Distance Education Program Goals........................................................................ 15

Factors That Keep Institutions From Starting or Expanding Distance Education 

Offerings.................................................................................................. 16

References ................................................................................................................ 19

List of Appendixes

Appendix

A Methodology........................................................................................................ A-1

B Questionnaire ....................................................................................................... B-1
x

Table of Contents—Continued

List of Tables

Table Page

1 Number and percentage distribution of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degreegranting institutions, by distance education program status and institutional type 

and size: 2000–2001.......................................................................................... 22

1a Standard errors of the number and percentage distribution of 2-year and 4-year 

Title IV degree-granting institutions, by distance education program status and 

institutional type and size: 2000–2001 ................................................................ 23

2 Percent of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting institutions that offered 

distance education courses, by institutional type and size: 2001–02 ...................... 24

2a Standard errors of the percent of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting 

institutions that offered distance education courses, by institutional type and 

size: 2001–02.................................................................................................... 25

3 Total number of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting institutions, and the 

number and percent of institutions that offered distance education courses, by 

level of institutional offerings: 2000–2001 .......................................................... 26

3a Standard errors of the total number of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degreegranting institutions, and of the number and percent of institutions that offered 

distance education courses, by level of institutional offerings: 2000–2001............. 27

4 Number of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting institutions that offered 

distance education courses, total enrollment in all distance education courses, 

and enrollment in college-level, credit-granting distance education courses, 

by institutional type and size: 2000–2001............................................................. 28

4a Standard errors of the number of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting 

institutions that offered distance education courses, of the total enrollment in all 

distance education courses, and of enrollment in college-level, credit-granting 

distance education courses, by institutional type and size: 2000–2001.................... 29

5 Percentage distribution of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting 

institutions offering distance education courses, by enrollment in distance 

education courses and type of course: 2000–2001................................................ 30

5a Standard errors of the percentage distribution of 2-year and 4-year Title IV 

degree-granting institutions offering distance education courses, by enrollment 

in distance education courses and type of course: 2000–2001............................... 31
xi

Table of Contents—Continued

List of Tables—Continued

Table Page

6 Number of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting institutions that offered 

distance education courses, total number of different distance education 

courses, and the number of different college-level, credit-granting distance 

education courses, by institutional type and size: 2000–2001 ................................ 32

6a Standard errors of the number of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting 

institutions that offered distance education courses, of the total number of 

different distance education courses, and of the number of different collegelevel, credit-granting distance education courses, by institutional type and size: 

2000–2001......................................................................................................... 33

7 Percentage distribution of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting 

institutions offering distance education courses, by the number of distance 

education courses offered and type of course: 2000–2001 .................................... 34

7a Standard errors of the percentage distribution of 2-year and 4-year Title IV 

degree-granting institutions offering distance education courses, by the number 

of distance education courses offered and type of course: 2000–2001 ................... 35

8 Percent of all 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting institutions offering 

any distance education courses, and the percent that had college-level degree or 

certificate programs designed to be completed totally through distance 

education, by institutional type and size: 2000–2001 ........................................... 36

8a Standard errors of the percent of all 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting 

institutions offering any distance education courses, and of the percent that had 

college-level degree or certificate programs designed to be completed totally 

through distance education, by institutional type and size: 2000–2001 .................. 37

9 Number of college-level degree and certificate programs designed to be 

completed totally through distance education offered by 2-year and 4-year Title 

IV degree-granting institutions, by institutional type and size: 2000–2001............. 38

9a Standard errors of the number of college-level degree and certificate programs 

designed to be completed totally through distance education offered by 2-year 

and 4-year Title IV degree-granting institutions, by institutional type and size: 

2000–2001......................................................................................................... 39

10 Percent of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting institutions offering any 

distance education courses, by primary technology for instructional delivery for 

distance education courses, and by institutional type and size: 2000–2001 ............ 40
xii

Table of Contents—Continued

List of Tables—Continued

Table Page

10a Standard errors of the percent of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting 

institutions offering any distance education courses, by primary technology for 

instructional delivery for distance education courses, and by institutional type 

and size: 2000–2001.......................................................................................... 41

11 Percentage distribution of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting 

institutions that offered distance education courses in 2000–2001 or planned to 

offer distance education in the next 3 years, by the planned level of distance 

education course offerings over the next 3 years, and by the planned primary 

technology for instructional delivery: 2000–2001 ................................................ 42

11a Standard errors of the percentage distribution of 2-year and 4-year Title IV 

degree-granting institutions that offered distance education courses in 2000–

2001 or planned to offer distance education in the next 3 years, by the planned 

level of distance education course offerings over the next 3 years, and by the 

planned primary technology for instructional delivery: 2000–2001 ....................... 43

12 Percent of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting institutions that planned 

to start or increase their use of various technologies as the primary mode of 

instructional delivery during the next 3 years, by distance education program 

status and type of technology: 2002.................................................................... 44

12a Standard errors of the percent of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting 

institutions that planned to start or increase their use of various technologies as 

the primary mode of instructional delivery during the next 3 years, by distance 

education program status and type of technology: 2002 ....................................... 45

13 Percent of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting institutions offering 

distance education courses in 2000–2001 that participate in any distance 

education consortia, and the percent in those institutions that participate in 

various types of consortia, by institutional type and size: 2002 ............................. 46

13a Standard errors of the percent of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting 

institutions offering distance education courses in 2000–2001 that participate in 

any distance education consortia, and of the percent in those institutions that 

participate in various types of consortia, by institutional type and size: 2002......... 47

14 Percentage distribution of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting 

institutions that offered distance education courses in 2000–2001, by the 

frequency of requests for accommodations for students with disabilities in 

distance education courses over the last 3 years, and by institutional type and 

size: 2002......................................................................................................... 48
xiii

Table of Contents—Continued

List of Tables—Continued

Table Page

14a Standard errors of the percentage distribution of 2-year and 4-year Title IV 

degree-granting institutions that offered distance education courses in 2000–

2001, by the frequency of requests for accommodations for students with 

disabilities in distance education courses over the last 3 years, and by 

institutional type and size: 2002 ......................................................................... 49

15 Percent of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting institutions that offered 

distance education courses in 2000–2001 that used web sites in those courses, 

and the percentage distribution of those institutions by the extent their web sites 

follow established accessibility guidelines or recommendations for users with 

disabilities, by institutional type and size: 2002 ................................................... 50

15a Standard errors of the percent of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting 

institutions that offered distance education courses in 2000–2001 that used web 

sites in those courses, and standard errors of the percentage distribution of those 

institutions by the extent their web sites follow established accessibility 

guidelines or recommendations for users with disabilities, by institutional type 

and size: 2002 ................................................................................................... 51

16 Percentage distribution of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting 

institutions that offered distance education courses in 2000–2001, by the level 

of importance in meeting various goals for distance education programs, and 

the percentage distribution of those institutions by the extent to which the 

institution is meeting those goals: 2002............................................................... 52

16a Standard errors of the percentage distribution of 2-year and 4-year Title IV 

degree-granting institutions that offered distance education courses in 2000–

2001, by the level of importance in meeting various goals for distance 

education programs, and standard errors of the percentage distribution of those 

institutions by the extent to which the institution is meeting those goals: 2002 ...... 53

17 Percent of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting institutions that offered 

distance education courses in 2000–2001, indicating that various goals are very 

important to their distance education programs, by institutional type: 2002........... 54

17a Standard errors of the percent of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting 

institutions that offered distance education courses in 2000–2001, indicating 

that various goals are very important to their distance education programs, by 

institutional type: 2002...................................................................................... 55
xiv

Table of Contents—Continued

List of Tables—Continued

Table Page

18 Percentage distribution of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting 

institutions that offered distance education courses in 2000–2001, by the extent 

to which their distance education program has met various goals, and by the 

importance of the goals: 2002 ............................................................................ 56

18a Standard errors of the percentage distribution of 2-year and 4-year Title IV 

degree-granting institutions that offered distance education courses in 2000–

2001, by the extent to which their distance education program has met various 

goals, and by the importance of the goals: 2002................................................... 57

19 Percentage distribution of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting 

institutions by the extent to which various factors are preventing the institution 

from starting or expanding distance education course offerings: 2002................... 58

19a Standard errors of the percentage distribution of 2-year and 4-year Title IV 

degree-granting institutions by the extent to which various factors are 

preventing the institution from starting or expanding distance education course 

offerings: 2002.................................................................................................. 59

20 Percentage distribution of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting 

institutions, by the extent to which various factors are preventing the institution 

from starting or expanding distance education course offerings, and by distance 

education program status in 2000–2001: 2002..................................................... 60

20a Standard errors of the percentage distribution of 2-year and 4-year Title IV 

degree-granting institutions, by the extent to which various factors are 

preventing the institution from starting or expanding distance education course 

offerings, and by distance education program status in 2000–2001: 2002 .............. 62

A-1 Number and percent of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting institutions 

in the study, and the estimated number and percent in the nation, for the total 

sample and for institutions that offered distance education courses in 2000–

2001, by institutional type and size: 2002............................................................ A-5
xv

Table of Contents—Continued

List of Figures

Figure Page

1 Percentage distribution of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting 

institutions, by distance education program status: 2000–2001 ............................. 4

2 Percentage distribution of enrollment in college-level credit-granting distance 

education courses in 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting institutions, 

by level of course offerings: 2000–2001 ............................................................. 6

3 Percentage distribution of enrollment in all distance education courses in 2-year 

and 4-year Title IV degree-granting institutions, by institutional type: 2000–

2001.................................................................................................................. 7

4 Percentage distribution of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting 

institutions offering distance education courses, by enrollment in distance 

education courses and type of distance education course: 2000–2001.................... 8

5 Percentage distribution of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting 

institutions offering distance education courses, by the number of distance 

education courses offered and type of distance education course: 2000–2001 ........ 9

6 Percent of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting institutions offering 

distance education courses in 2000–2001 that participate in various types of 

distance education consortia, by type of consortium: 2002................................... 13
xvi
1

Introduction

This report presents data from a nationally representative survey on distance education at degreegranting postsecondary institutions undertaken by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). 

The data provide national estimates on the status of distance education in 2000–2001, including

information about institutions offering distance education, enrollment and course offerings, degree and 

certificate programs, and distance education technologies. In addition, institutions were asked to report 

on program goals, factors keeping institutions from starting or expanding their distance education 

programs, participation in distance education consortia, and information on issues related to

accommodations for students with disabilities.

This is the third survey of its kind undertaken by NCES. The previous two studies—Distance 

Education in Higher Education Institutions (Lewis, Alexander, and Farris 1997), which collected

information for 1994–95, and Distance Education at Postsecondary Institutions: 1997–98 (Lewis et al. 

1999)—looked at slightly different populations. While many of the topics in this report are the same as 

those in the two previous reports, the data from the three surveys are not completely comparable because 

of the differences in the populations used for the studies.1

Distance education was defined for this study as education or training courses delivered to remote 

(off-campus) sites via audio, video (live or prerecorded), or computer technologies, including both 

synchronous (i.e., simultaneous) and asynchronous (i.e., not simultaneous) instruction. The following 

types of courses were not included in this study: (1) courses conducted exclusively on campus; (2) 

courses conducted exclusively via written correspondence; and (3) courses in which the instructor 

traveled to a remote site to deliver instruction in person. However, distance education courses may 

include a small amount of on-campus course or lab work, on-campus exams, or occasional on-campus 

meetings.

The survey was conducted by NCES in the spring of 2002 using the Postsecondary Education 

Quick Information System (PEQIS). PEQIS is a survey system designed to collect small amounts of 

issue-oriented data from a previously recruited, nationally representative sample of institutions, with 

minimal burden on respondents and within a relatively short period of time. Questionnaires were mailed 

to PEQIS survey coordinators at approximately 1,600 postsecondary institutions in the 50 states and the 

District of Columbia. Coordinators were informed that the survey was designed to be completed by the 

person(s) at the institution most knowledgeable about the institution’s distance education course

offerings. The unweighted survey response rate was 94 percent; the weighted response rate was also 94 

percent. Data were adjusted for questionnaire nonresponse and weighted to yie ld national estimates that 

represent all Title IV-eligible, degree-granting institutions in the United States.2 Detailed information 

 

1

 The sample for the first distance education survey consisted of 2-year and 4-year higher education institutions in the 50 states, the District of 

Columbia, and Puerto Rico. At the time, NCES defined higher education institutions as institutions that are accredited at the college level by an 

agency recognized by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education. Higher education institutions are a subset of all postsecondary 

institutions. The sample for the second distance education survey consisted of 2-year and 4-year postsecondary institutions (both higher 

education and other postsecondary institutions) in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The third survey was sent to 2-year and 4-year 

Title IV-eligible, degree-granting institutions in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. This change was necessary because of the way 

NCES now categorizes postsecondary institutions. The sample for the third survey is discussed in more detail in the survey methodology 

presented in appendix A.

2

 Institutions participating in Title IV federal student financial aid programs (such as Pell grants or Stafford loans) are accredited by an agency or 

organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, have a program of over 300 clock hours or 8 credit hours, have been in business 

for at least 2 years, and have a signed Program Participation Agreement with the Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE), U.S. Department of 

Education. Degree-granting institutions are those that offer an associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, doctor’s, or first -professional degree (Knapp et 

al. 2001).
2

about the survey methodology is provided in appendix A, and the questionnaire can be found in appendix 

B.

In addition to national estimates, selected findings are presented by the following institutional 

characteristics:

• Institutional type: public 2-year, private 2-year, public 4-year, and private 4-year. Institutional 

type was created from a combination of level (2-year and 4-year) and control (public and 

private). Two-year institutions are defined as institutions at which the highest level of offering 

is at least 2 but less than 4 years (below the baccalaureate degree); 4-year institutions are those 

at which the highest level of offering is 4 or more years (baccalaureate or higher degree). 

Private institutions comprise private nonprofit and private for-profit institutions; these

institutions are reported together because there are too few private for-profit institutions in the 

survey sample to report them as a separate category.

• Size of institution: less than 3,000 students (small); 3,000 to 9,999 students (medium); and 

10,000 or more students (large).

All specific statements of comparisons made in this report have been tested for statistical

significance using t-tests adjusted for multiple comparisons and are significant at the 95 percent 

confidence level or better. However, not all significant comparisons have been presented in this report.
3

Selected Findings

This report presents key findings from the survey Distance Education at Higher Education 

Institutions: 2000–2001. The findings are organized as follows:

• institutions offering distance education courses;

• enrollments and course offerings;

• degree and certificate programs;

• distance education technologies;

• participation in distance education consortia;

• accommodations for students with disabilities;

• distance education program goals; and

• factors keeping institutions from starting or expanding distance education offerings.

Institutions Offering Distance Education Courses

Institutions indicated whether they offered any distance education courses during the 12-month 

2000–2001 academic year. Institutions that did not offer distance education indicated whether they

planned to offer distance education in the next 3 years (2001–02 through 2003–04), and whether they had 

offered any distance education in the previous 5 years (1995–2000). In addition, all institutions indicated 

whether they offered any distance education courses during the 2001–02 academic year (i.e., the year of 

the survey administration).

• Fifty-six percent of all 2-year and 4-year Title IV-eligible, degree-granting institutions offered 

distance education courses in 2000–2001, representing an estimated 2,320 institutions (figure 1 

and table 1). Twelve percent of all institutions indicated that they planned to start offering 

distance education courses in the next 3 years, and 31 percent of the institutions did not offer 

distance education courses in 2000–2001 and did not plan to offer these types of courses in the 

next 3 years.

• Public institutions were more likely than private institutions to offer distance education courses 

in 2000–2001 (table 1). Ninety percent of public 2-year and 89 percent of public 4-year 

institutions offered distance education courses, compared with 16 percent of private 2-year and 

40 percent of private 4-year institutions. 

• Among private institutions, 23 percent of private 2-year and 16 percent of private 4-year 

institutions planned to start offering distance education in the next 3 years; 62 percent of

private 2-year and 44 percent of private 4-year institutions reported that they do not plan to 

start offering distance education courses in the next 3 years (table 1).

• Large and medium-sized institutions were more likely than small institutions to offer distance 

education courses (95 and 88 percent vs. 41 percent, respectively) (table 1). Forty-three percent 

of small institutions reported that they did not offer distance education courses in 2000–2001 

and did not have plans to start offering distance education courses in the next 3 years. 
4

• Fifty-nine percent of all the institutions indicated that they offered distance education courses 

in the 2001–02 academic year (i.e., the year of the survey administration) (table 2), an increase 

of 3 percentage points from the previous year. Five percent of institutions that did not offer 

distance education courses in 2000–2001 indicated that they had offered these courses within 

the previous 5 years (1995–2000).3

Figure 1. Percentage distribution of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting institutions,

by distance education program status: 2000–2001

Planned to offer 

distance education 

in the next 3 years

12%

Offered distance 

education courses 

in 2000-2001

56%

Did not offer in 2000-

2001 and did not 

plan to offer in 

the next 3 years

31%

NOTE: Percentages are based on the estimated 4,130 2-year and 4-year Title IV-eligible, degree-granting institutions in the nation. Detail may 

not sum to totals because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Postsecondary Education Quick Information System, 

“Survey on Distance Education at Higher Education Institutions, 2000–2001,” 2002.

Type and Level of Distance Education Offerings

Institutions indicated what type of distance education courses they offered and at what level these 

courses were offered in 2000–2001. Distance education courses for all levels and audiences include 

courses designed for all types of students, including elementary and secondary, college, adult education, 

continuing and professional education, etc. College-level, credit-granting courses include only courses 

designed for college students at the undergraduate or graduate/first-professional level,4 and for which 

college credits are awarded for completion.

• Among all 2- and 4-year institutions, 56 percent offered distance education courses for any 

level or audience (tables 1 and 3). Distance education courses for any level or audience were 

 

3

 Data not shown in tables (standard error = 0.9).

4

 First-professional degrees are awarded after completion of the academic requirements to begin practice in the following professions: 

chiropractic (D.C. or D.C.M.); dentistry (D.D.S. or D.M.D.); law (L.L.B. or J.D.); medicine (M.D.); optometry (O.D.); osteopathic medicine 

(D.O.); pharmacy (Pharm. D.); podiatry (D.P.M., D.P., or Pod. D.); theology (M. Div., M.H.L., B.D., or Ordination); or veterinary medicine 

(D.V.M.) (Knapp et al. 2001).
5

offered by 57 percent of institutions with undergraduate programs, and by 63 percent of 

institutions with graduate programs (table 3).

5

• Institutions that offered distance education courses for any level or audience also tended to 

offer college-level, credit-granting distance education courses. Thus, 55 percent of all 2- and 

4-year institutions offered college-level, credit-granting distance education courses at either the 

undergraduate or graduate/first-professional level (table 3). College-level, credit-granting 

distance education courses at either level were offered by 57 percent of institutions that had 

any undergraduate programs, and by 62 percent of institutions that had any graduate/firstprofessional programs.

• College-level, credit-granting distance education courses were offered at the undergraduate 

level by 48 percent of all institutions, by 52 percent of the institutions that had undergraduate 

programs, and by 44 percent of the institutions that had graduate/first-professional programs 

(table 3).

• College-level, credit-granting distance education courses were offered at the graduate/firstprofessional level by 22 percent of all institutions (table 3). Distance education courses at this 

level were offered by 20 percent of institutions that had undergraduate programs, and by 52 

percent of institutions that had graduate/first-professional programs.

Enrollments and Course Offerings

Institutions were asked about the number of distance education enrollments and course offerings

during the 12-month 2000–2001 academic year. Institutions reported the number of distance education 

courses and enrollments for all levels and audiences, the number of courses and enrollments for all 

college-level, credit-granting courses, and the number of courses and enrollments at the undergraduate 

and graduate/first-professional levels.

Enrollment in Distance Education Courses

Institutions reported the total enrollment in all distance education courses and the enrollment in 

college-level, credit-granting distance education courses, both overall and by course level (i.e.,

undergraduate or graduate/first-professional). If a student was enrolled in multiple courses, institutions 

were instructed to count the student for each course in which he or she was enrolled. Thus, enrollments 

may include duplicated counts of students.

 

5

 Institutions can be characterized by whether they have any undergraduate programs or graduate/first -professional programs (either on campus or 

distance education). These programs are identified by the 2000 Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, “Institutional Characteristics 

Survey” (IPEDS–IC:2000). These programs, as identified by IPEDS, should not be confused with the level of distance education course 

offerings. Of the estimated 4,130 Title IV degree-granting institutions at the 2-year or 4-year level, 3,810 institutions have undergraduate 

programs, and 1,700 have graduate/first -professional programs; 1,380 of the institutions have progr ams at both levels.
6

• In the 12-month 2000–2001 academic year, there were an estimated 3,077,000 enrollments in 

all distance education courses offered by 2- and 4-year institutions (table 4).6 There were an 

estimated 2,876,000 enrollments in college-level, credit-granting distance education courses, 

with 82 percent of these at the undergraduate level (figure 2 and table 4).

Figure 2. Percentage distribution of enrollment in college -level, credit-granting distance education 

courses in 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting institutions, by level of course 

offerings: 2000–2001

Enrollments in 

graduate/firstprofessional courses2

18%

Enrollments in 

undergraduate 

courses

1 

82%

1

Percent based on the 2,350,000 enrollments in undergraduate distance education courses out of 2,876,000 total enrollments in college-level, 

credit-granting distance education courses.

2

Percent based on the 510,000 enrollments in graduate/first -professional distance education courses out of 2,876,000 total enrollments in collegelevel, credit-granting distance education courses.

NOTE: Enrollments may include duplicated counts of students, since institutions were instructed to count a student enrolled in multiple courses 

for each course in which he or she was enrolled. Figure derived from data in table 4. Enrollments in undergraduate and graduate/firstprofessional distance education courses do not sum to the total enrollment because of rounding and missing data. (See appendix A for details.)

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Postsecondary Education Quick Information System, 

“Survey on Distance Education at Higher Education Institutions, 2000–2001,” 2002.

 

6

 To put these numbers into context, NCES estimates that there were 15.3 million students enrolled in 2- and 4-year degree-granting 

postsecondary education institutions in fall 2000. It is important to remember that the distance educat ion enrollments collected in the PEQIS 

survey may include duplicated counts of students, while the NCES estimate of 15.3 million students enrolled is an unduplicated count of 

students. Information about total course enrollments at postsecondary institutions is not available for comparison to the PEQIS distance 

education course enrollments (U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education 

Data System (IPEDS), spring 2001. Available: http://www.nces.ed.gov/quicktables/).
7

• Consistent with the distributions of institutions that offered distance education courses, most of 

the distance education course enrollments were in public 2-year and public 4-year institutions. 

Public 2-year institutions had the greatest number of enrollments in distance education courses, 

with 48 percent of the total enrollments in distance education (figure 3 and table 4). Public 4-

year institutions had 31 percent of the total, and private 4-year institutions had 19 percent of 

the total.

7

 This distribution by institutional type was similar for the number of distance 

education course enrollments in all college-level, credit-granting courses, and for distance 

education course enrollments at the undergraduate level. At the graduate/first-professional 

level, public 4-year institutions had a larger number of enrollments than did private 4-year 

institutions (60 percent compared with 40 percent).

Figure 3. Percentage distribution of enrollment in all distance education courses in 2-year and 4-

year Title IV degree-granting institutions, by institutional type:1 2000–2001

Public 4-year 

institutions3

31%

Public 2-year 

institutions2

48%

Private 4-year 

institutions4

19%

1Data for private 2-year institutions are not reported in a separate category because too few private 2-year institutions in the sample offered 

distance education courses in 2000–2001 to make reliable estimates. 

2

Percent based on the 1,472,000 enrollments in distance education courses in public 2-year institutions, out of 3,077,000 total enrollments in all 

distance education courses.

3

Percent based on the 945,000 enrollments in distance education courses in public 4-year institutions, out of 3,077,000 total enrollments in all 

distance education courses.

4

Percent based on the 589,000 enrollments in distance education courses in private 4-year institutions, out of 3,077,000 total enrollments in all 

distance education courses.

NOTE: Enrollments may include duplicated counts of students, since institutions were instructed to count a student enrolled in multiple courses 

for each course in which he or she was enrolled. Figure derived from data in table 4. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding, missing 

data, or because too few cases were reported for a reliable estimate for private 2-year institutions. (See appendix A for details.)

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Postsecondary Education Quick Information Sy stem, 

“Survey on Distance Education at Higher Education Institutions, 2000–2001,” 2002.

 

7

 Data for private 2-year institutions are not reported in a separate category because too few private 2-year institutions in the sample offered 

distance education courses in 2000–2001 to make reliable estimates. Data for private 2-year institutions are included in the totals and in 

analyses by other institutional characteristics.
8

• About half of the institutions that offered distance education courses in 2000–2001 had 500 or 

fewer enrollments in those courses; 22 percent had 100 or fewer enrollments (figure 4 and table 

5). The distribution is similar for enrollments in college-level, credit-granting distance 

education courses.

Figure 4. Percentage distribution of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting institutions 

offering distance education courses, by enrollment in distance education courses and 

type of distance education course: 2000–2001

Enrollments in all distance education courses

1,001–2,500 

enrollments

17%

501–1,000 

enrollments

16%

101–500 

enrollments

30%

1–100 

enrollments 

22%

More than 

2,500 

enrollments

15%

Enrollments in college-level, credit-granting 

distance education courses

More than 

2,500 

enrollments 

14%

1,001–2,500 

enrollments

16%

501–1,000 

enrollments

16%

101–500 

enrollments

30%

1–100 

enrollments 

23%

0 enrollments1

1%

1One percent of the institutions that offered distance education courses did not offer college-level, credit-granting distance education courses.

NOTE: Percentages are based on the estimated 2,320 institutions that offered any distance education courses in 2000–2001. Enrollments may 

include duplicated counts of students, since institutions were instructed to count a student enrolled in multiple courses for each course in which he 

or she was enrolled. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Postsecondary Education Quick Information System, 

“Survey on Distance Education at Higher Education Institutions, 2000–2001,” 2002.

Number of Distance Education Courses

Institutions reported the total number of different distance education courses and the total number 

of different college-level, credit-granting distance education courses, both overall and by course level 

(i.e., undergraduate or graduate/first-professional). If a course had multiple sections or was offered

multiple times during the academic year, institutions were instructed to count it as only one course.

• An estimated 127,400 different distance education courses for any level or audience were 

offered by 2- and 4-year institutions during the 12-month 2000–2001 academic year (table 6). 

An estimated 118,100 different college-level, credit-granting distance education courses were 

offered, with most (76 percent) at the undergraduate level. 

• Consistent with the distributions of institutions that offered distance education courses and the 

enrollments in these courses, most of the distance education courses were offered by public 2-

and 4-year institutions. Public 2-year institutions offered the greatest number of distance 

education courses, with 55,900 out of 127,400 courses, or 44 percent of the total number of 

distance education courses (table 6). Public 4-year institutions offered 43,100 courses (34 
9

percent of the total), and private 4-year institutions offered 26,500 courses (21 percent of the 

total).8 This pattern of variation by institutional type was also similar for all college-level, 

credit-granting distance education courses and for courses at the undergraduate level. Public 4-

year institutions offered more different distance education courses at the graduate/firstprofessional level than did private 4-year institutions (17,600 compared with 9,800).

• About half of the institutions that offered distance education courses in the 2000–2001 

academic year offered 30 or fewer distance education courses; 27 percent offered 10 or fewer 

courses, and 25 percent offered 11 to 30 courses (figure 5 and table 7). The distribution is 

similar for the number of college-level, credit-granting courses.

Figure 5. Percentage distribution of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting institutions 

offering distance education courses, by the number of distance education courses 

offered and type of distance education course: 2000–2001

All distance education courses

51–100 courses 

19%

31–50 courses 

15%

11–30 courses 

25%

1–10 courses 

27%

More than 100 

courses

15%

College-level, credit-granting 

distance education courses

0 courses1

 1% More than 100 

courses

14%

51–100 courses 

18%

31–50 courses 

16%

11–30 courses 

25%

1–10 courses 

27%

1One percent of the institutions that offered any distance education courses did not offer college-level, credit-granting distance education courses.

NOTE: Percentages are based on the estimated 2,320 institutions that offered any distance education courses in 2000–2001. If a course had 

multiple sections or was offered multiple times during the academic year, institutions were instructed to count it as only one course. Detail may 

not sum to totals because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Postsecondary Education Quick Information System, 

“Survey on Distance Education at Higher Education Institutions, 2000–2001,” 2002.

Degree and Certificate Programs

Institutions indicated whether they offered undergraduate and graduate/first-professional degree or 

certificate programs designed to be completed totally through distance education, and the number of such 

 

8

 Data for private 2-year institutions are not reported in a separate category because too few private 2-year institutions in the sample offered 

distance education courses in 2000–2001 to make reliable estimates. Data for private 2-year institutions are included in the totals and in 

analyses by other institutional characteristics. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding, missing data, or because too few cases were 

reported for a reliable estimate for private 2-year institutions. (See appendix A for details.)
10

programs that they offered during the 2000–2001 academic year.9 Respondents were instructed to include 

only degree or certificate programs based on credit-granting courses.

Institutions Offering Degree and Certificate Programs

• In 2000–2001, 19 percent of all 2- and 4-year institutions had degree or certificate programs 

designed to be completed totally through distance education (table 8). Among the 56 percent 

of institutions that offered distance education courses, 34 percent had degree or certificate 

programs designed to be completed totally through distance education.

• Institutions were more likely to offer distance education degree programs than certificate 

programs. Among the institutions that offered distance education courses in 2000–2001, 30 

percent offered degree programs and 16 percent offered certificate programs designed to be 

completed totally through distance education (table 8). Among the institutions that had

undergraduate programs of any type and offered distance education courses, 21 percent offered 

undergraduate degree programs through distance education, and 12 percent offered

undergraduate certificate programs through distance education. Among the institutions that 

had any graduate programs and offered distance education, 35 percent offered graduate/firstprofessional degree programs through distance education, and 13 percent offered graduate/firstprofessional certificate programs through distance education. 

• Among institutions that offered distance education courses, public 4-year institutions were 

more likely to offer degree programs designed to be completed through distance education than 

private 4-year institutions, which in turn were more likely to offer these type of degree

programs than public 2-year institutions (48 percent, 33 percent, and 20 percent, respectively)

(table 8). With regard to certificate programs, 25 percent of public 4-year institutions that 

offered distance education courses had certificate programs designed to be completed totally 

through distance education, compared with 15 percent of public 2-year and 14 percent of 

private 4-year institutions.

• Among institutions offering distance education courses, large institutions were more likely to 

offer degree programs designed to be completed totally through distance education than were 

medium-sized institutions, which in turn were more likely to offer them than were small 

institutions (47 percent, 34 percent, and 22 percent, respectively) (table 8). Further, large 

institutions offering distance education courses more often reported that they offered certificate 

programs designed to be completed totally through distance education than did either mediumsized or small institutions (30 percent compared with 14 and 12 percent, respectively).

Number of Degree and Certificate Programs

• In 2000–2001, 2- and 4-year institutions offered an estimated 2,810 college-level degree

programs that were designed to be completed totally through distance education (table 9). Of 

these, 1,570 (56 percent) were undergraduate degree programs and 1,240 (44 percent) were 

graduate/first-professional degree programs.

 

9

 Degree programs are programs that offer an associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, doctor’s, or first-professional degree. College-level certificate 

programs are programs that offer post-baccalaureate, post-master’s, or first-professional certificates, or certificates of at least 2 but less than 4 

years in length (Knapp et al. 2001). Examples of these types of certificate programs include a post -baccalaureate certificate in special education 

or curriculum and instruction, a post -master’s certificate in educational supervision, or a first-professional certificate in optometry or dentistry. 

Examples of certificate programs that are at least 2 years but less than 4 years in length include cosmetology, nursing, and electrician.
11

• Four-year institutions offered more distance education degree programs than 2-year 

institutions, with private 4-year institutions offering 1,160 degree programs and public 4-year 

institutions offering 1,090 degree programs, compared with public 2-year institutions offering 

520 degree programs (table 9).

• Of the 1,090 distance education degree programs at public 4-year institutions, 410 (38 percent) 

were undergraduate degree programs and 680 (62 percent) were graduate/first-professional 

degree programs (table 9). For private 4-year institutions, 600 out of 1,160 (52 percent) were 

undergraduate degree programs and 560 (48 percent) were graduate/first-professional. 

• Institutions reported a total of 1,330 college-level certificate programs that were designed to be 

completed totally through distance education courses (table 9). Of these, 850 (64 percent) were 

at the undergraduate level and 470 (35 percent) were at the graduate/first-professional level.

• For distance education certificate programs, about half were at the undergraduate level for both 

public 4-year institutions (220 out of 480 or 46 percent) and private 4-year institutions (200 out 

of 420 or 48 percent) (table 9).

Distance Education Technologies

Institutions indicated the types of technology that were used as a primary mode of instructional 

delivery for distance education courses in the 12-month 2000–2001 academic year. The institutions also 

reported their plans for the next 3 years concerning the number of distance education courses expected to 

be offered using various technologies as the primary mode of instructional delivery. The types of 

technologies included two-way video with two-way audio (two-way interactive video), one-way video 

with two-way audio, one-way live video, one-way prerecorded video (including prerecorded videotapes 

provided to students, and television broadcast and cable transmission using prerecorded video), two-way 

audio transmission (e.g., audio/phone conferencing), one-way audio transmission (including radio

broadcast and prerecorded audiotapes provided to students), Internet courses using synchronous (i.e., 

simultaneous or “real time”) computer-based instruction (e.g., interactive computer conferencing or 

Interactive Relay Chat), Internet courses using asynchronous (i.e., not simultaneous) computer-based 

instruction (e.g., e-mail, listservs, and most World Wide Web-based courses), CD-ROM, multi-mode 

packages (i.e., a mix of technologies that cannot be assigned to a primary mode), and other technologies.

Technologies Used in 2000–2001

• Among 2- and 4-year institutions offering distance education courses in 2000–2001, the 

Internet and two of the video technologies were most often used as primary modes of 

instructional delivery for distance education courses. The majority of these institutions (90 

percent) reported that they offered Internet courses using asynchronous computer-based 

instruction as a primary mode of instructional delivery (table 10). In addition, 51 percent 

reported using two-way video with two-way audio, 43 percent offered Internet courses using 

synchronous computer-based instruction, and 41 percent used one-way prerecorded video as a 

primary mode of instructional delivery for distance education courses.10 

• Twenty-nine percent of institutions offering distance education courses used CD-ROM as a 

primary mode of instructional delivery, and 19 percent of institutions used multi-mode 

 

10 Percentages sum to more than 100 because institutions could use different types of technologies as primary modes of instructional delivery for 

different distance education courses.
12

packages (table 10). The remaining technologies were used as a primary mode of instructional 

delivery by 3 to 11 percent of these institutions.

• Use of the various technologies as a primary mode of instructional delivery for distance

education courses showed some variation by institutional type (table 10). For example, twoway video with two-way audio was used as a primary mode of instructional delivery more 

often by public 4-year (80 percent) than public 2-year (60 percent) or private 4-year institutions 

(22 percent), and by public 2-year more often than private 4-year institutions. Use of multimode packages followed this same pattern of differences. One-way prerecorded video showed 

a somewhat different pattern by institutional type. Public 2-year institutions were more likely 

to use one-way prerecorded video than were either public or private 4-year institutions (57 

percent compared with 40 percent and 24 percent), and public 4-year institutions were more 

likely to use this mode of delivery than were private 4-year institutions. Internet courses using 

synchronous computer-based instruction were more likely to be used as a primary mode of 

instructional delivery by public 4-year (55 percent) than by public 2-year (40 percent) or 

private 4-year institutions (35 percent), while Internet courses using asynchronous computerbased instruction were more likely to be used as a primary mode of delivery by public 2-year 

(95 percent) than by public 4-year (87 percent) or private 4-year institutions (86 percent). 

Plans for Use of Technologies

Institutions that offered distance education in 2000–2001 or that planned to offer distance

education in the next 3 years indicated their plans concerning the number of distance education courses 

that would be offered using the various technologies as a primary mode of instructional delivery.

• Eighty-eight percent of the institutions indicated plans to start using or increase the number of 

Internet courses using asynchronous computer-based instruction as a primary mode of

instructional delivery for distance education courses (table 11). Sixty-two percent of 

institutions planned to start using or increase the number of Internet courses using synchronous 

computer-based instruction as a primary mode of delivery, 40 percent planned to start using or 

increase the number of courses using two-way video with two-way audio, 39 percent planned 

to start using or increase the number of courses using CD-ROMs, and 31 percent planned to 

start using or increase the number of courses using multi-mode packages. About a quarter (23 

percent) planned to start using or increase the number of courses using one-way prerecorded 

video. From 5 to 13 percent of institutions had plans to start using or increase the number of 

courses using the other listed technologies.

• Thirteen percent of institutions indicated that they planned to keep the same number of courses 

using two-way video with two-way audio, while 4 percent reported plans to reduce the number 

of courses with this technology (table 11). For one-way prerecorded video, a similar pattern 

was observed. Fifteen percent of institutions indicated that they planned to keep the same 

number of courses using one-way prerecorded video, and 6 percent planned to reduce the 

number of courses using this technology.

• Institutions that offered distance education in 2000–2001 were more likely than institutions that 

planned to start offering distance education in the next 3 years to indicate that they planned to 

start using or increase the number of courses using two-way video with two-way audio (43 

percent compared to 26 percent) and multi-mode packages (35 percent compared to 14 percent) 

(table 12).
13

Participation in Distance Education Consortia

Institutions indicated whether they participated in any type of distance education consortia (a 

cooperative arrangement among institutions), and if so, the types of consortia in which they participated: 

system (e.g., within a single university system or community college district), state (i.e., within a single 

state), regional (i.e., multi-state), national, and international.

• Sixty percent of 2- and 4-year institutions that offered distance education courses in 2000–2001 

reported participating in some type of distance education consortium in 2002 (table 13). Of 

those institutions that participated in any consortia, 75 percent indicated that they participated 

in a state consortium and 50 percent participated in a system consortium (figure 6 and table 

13).

Figure 6. Percent of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting institutions offering distance 

education courses in 2000–2001 that participate in various types of distance education 

consortia, by type of consortium: 2002

75

50

27

14

4

0

20

40

60

80

100

State 

consortium

System

consortium

Regional

consortium

National

consortium

International

consortium

Percent

NOTE: Percents are based on the 60 percent of institutions that participated in any distance education consortia. This question was asked in the 

present tense rather than referring to 2000–2001, and thus the estimates reflect the responses of the institutions at the time the data were collected 

in spring 2002.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Postsecondary Education Quick Information System, 

“Survey on Distance Education at Higher Education Institutions, 2000–2001,” 2002.
14

• Public 2-year institutions were more likely than public 4-year institutions, which in turn were 

more likely than private 4-year institutions to participate in a distance education consortium

(83 percent, 68 percent, and 25 percent, respectively) (table 13).

• Participation in various types of consortia differed by institutional type. Participation in a 

system consortium was reported more often by public 4-year (62 percent) than by public 2-year 

(49 percent) or private 4-year institutions (30 percent), and more often by public 2-year than by 

private 4-year institutions (table 13). Participation in a state consortium was reported more 

often by public 2-year (87 percent) than by public 4-year (67 percent) or private 4-year (56 

percent) institutions, and by public 4-year more often than private 4-year institutions. Public 4-

year institutions were more likely than public 2-year institutions to participate in regional 

consortia and international consortia (30 vs. 23 percent, and 9 vs. 2 percent, respectively). 

Participation in a national consortium was most likely to be reported by private 4-year 

institutions (37 percent) compared with public 4-year (20 percent) and public 2-year 

institutions (6 percent) and least likely to be reported by public 2-year institutions.

• The size of the institution was related to participation in distance education consortia. Large 

institutions were more likely to participate in distance education consortia than medium 

institutions, which in turn were more likely to participate than small institutions (78 percent, 67 

percent, and 48 percent, respectively) (table 13). Large institutions were more likely than 

medium institutions to participate in regional consortia (33 percent compared with 25 percent), 

and more likely than either medium or small institutions to participate in national consortia (21 

percent compared with 12 and 13 percent, respectively) or international consortia (9 percent 

compared with 3 and 3 percent, respectively).

Accommodations for Students With Disabilities

Institutions that offered distance education were asked to indicate how often in the last 3 years they 

had received requests to provide accommodations for students with disabilities in their distance education 

courses.

11 In addition, institutions indicated the extent to which their web sites for distance education 

courses followed established accessibility guidelines or recommendations for users with disabilities (e.g., 

guidelines/recommendations from the U.S. Department of Education or the World Wide Web

Consortium).

Requests to Provide Accommodations

• Forty-five percent of 2- and 4-year institutions that offered distance education courses in 2000–

2001 had occasionally received requests in the last 3 years to provide accommodations for 

students with disabilities in distance education courses (table 14). Thirty-seven percent 

reported never receiving this type of request in the last 3 years, 15 percent did not know if they 

had received requests for accommodations, and 3 percent had received requests frequently.

• Public institutions were more likely than private institutions to occasionally receive requests to 

provide accommodations for students with disabilities in distance education courses. Fifty-two 

percent of public 2-year and 49 percent of public 4-year institutions reported occasionally 

receiving requests, compared with 35 percent of private 4-year institutions (table 14). About 

half (51 percent) of private 4-year institutions had never received requests for

accommodations, compared with 29 and 30 percent of public 4-year and 2-year institutions.

 

11Postsecondary institutions are required by law to provide reasonable accommodations to students with disabilities upon request by the student.
15

• The likelihood of receiving requests to provide accommodations for students with disabilities 

in distance education courses increased with institutional size, with 59 percent of large, 49 

percent of medium, and 37 percent of small institutions reporting occasionally having received 

requests for accommodations in the last 3 years, while 48 percent of small, 32 percent of 

medium, and 18 percent of large institutions reported never receiving such requests in the last 3 

years (table 14).

Web Site Accessibility

• Almost all (95 percent) of the 2- and 4-year institutions that offered distance education courses 

in 2000–2001 indicated that they had used web sites for their distance education courses (table 

15). Of the institutions that had used web sites for distance education courses, 18 percent 

indicated that they followed established accessibility guidelines or recommendation for users 

with disabilities to a major extent, 28 percent followed the guidelines to a moderate extent, 18 

percent followed the guidelines to a minor extent, 3 percent did not follow the guidelines at all, 

and 33 percent did not know if the web sites followed accessibility guidelines.

• Public institutions were more likely than private institutions to follow accessibility guidelines 

to a major extent. Twenty-two percent of public 4-year and 20 percent of public 2-year 

institutions followed these guidelines to a major extent, compared with 11 percent of private 4-

year institutions (table 15). Private 4-year institutions indicated more often than either public 

2-year or public 4-year institutions that they did not know whether their web sites for distance 

education courses followed accessibility guidelines (42 percent vs. 28 and 23 percent,

respectively).

• Large institutions were more likely than medium institutions, which in turn were more likely 

than small institutions to indicate that their web sites followed accessibility guidelines to a 

major extent (30 percent, 19 percent, and 12 percent, respectively) (table 15). The same pattern 

by institutional size was present for those that indicated the web sites followed accessibility 

guidelines to a moderate extent (37 percent, 32 percent, and 22 percent, respectively).

Distance Education Program Goals

Institutions that offered distance education were asked to report on the importance of various goals 

to their distance education program, and the extent to which the distance education program had met 

those goals it considered somewhat or very important. Goals included reducing the institution’s perstudent costs, making educational opportunities more affordable for students, increasing institution

enrollments, increasing student access by reducing time constraints for course taking, increasing student 

access by making courses available at convenient locations, increasing the institution’s access to new 

audiences, improving the quality of course offerings, and meeting the needs of local employers.

• A majority of the institutions that offered distance education in 2000–2001 indicated that 

increasing student access in various ways were very important goals to their institution’s 

distance education program. Sixty-nine percent of the institutions that offered distance 

education courses indicated that increasing student access by making courses available at 

convenient locations was very important, and 67 percent reported that increasing access by 

reducing time constraints for course taking was very important (table 16). In addition, 36 

percent reported that making educational opportunities more affordable for students, another 

aspect of student access, was a very important goal for their distance education program.
16

• On issues related to institutional enrollment and cost, 65 percent of institutions offering

distance education indicated that increasing the institution’s access to new audiences was very 

important, 60 percent reported that increasing the institution’s enrollments was very important, 

and 15 percent reported that reducing the institution’s per-student costs was very important 

(table 16). In addition, improving the quality of course offerings was considered to be an 

important goal by 57 percent of the institutions, and meeting the needs of local employers was 

rated as very important by 37 percent of the institutions.

• In general, institutions reported that most of the goals they considered to be important were 

being met to a moderate or major extent (table 16). Increasing student access by making 

courses available at convenient locations was reported to have been met to a major extent by 37 

percent of institutions that considered it an important goal, and increasing student access by 

reducing time constraints for course taking was reported to have been met to a major extent by 

32 percent of institutions that considered it an important goal. 

• The importance of various goals varied by institutional type. Public 2-year institutions were 

more likely than either public or private 4-year institutions to report that the following goals 

were very important to their distance education program: making educational opportunities 

more affordable for students (46 percent compared with 36 and 26 percent), increasing student 

access by reducing time constraints for course taking (73 percent compared with 66 and 61 

percent), improving the quality of course offerings (66 percent vs. 53 and 53 percent,), and 

meeting the needs of local employers (50 percent vs. 31 and 27 percent) (table 17). In addition, 

public 2-year institutions were more likely than public 4-year institutions to report that 

increasing institution enrollments was a very important goal for their distance education 

program (64 percent vs. 58 percent).

• Institutions that reported that a particular goal was very important to their distance education 

program more often indicated that the goal had been met to a major extent compared with 

institutions that reported the goal was somewhat important, while institutions that reported a 

goal as somewhat important more frequently indicated that the goal had been met to a minor 

extent compared with institutions that rated the goal as very important (table 18). For example, 

of the institutions that indicated that increasing student access by reducing time constraints for 

course taking was a very important goal, 43 percent had met that goal to a major extent, 

compared with 8 percent of institutions that indicated the goal was somewhat important. In 

contrast, 44 percent of institutions reporting that this was a somewhat important goal met the 

goal to a minor extent, compared with 15 percent that indicated the goal was very important.

Factors That Keep Institutions From Starting or Expanding Distance 

Education Offerings

All institutions, including those with no future plans to offer distance education courses, were 

asked to rate the extent to which each of 15 factors was keeping them from starting or expanding their 

distance education course offerings. The response categories were “not at all,” “minor extent,” “moderate 

extent,” and “major extent.” These responses were then examined by distance education program status, 

that is, by whether an institution offered distance education courses, or whether the institution planned to 

offer these courses in the next 3 years.

• Institutions did not consider most of the listed factors to be keeping them from starting or 

expanding their distance education course offerings. For example, factors to which institutions 

frequently responded “not at all” included inability to obtain state authorization (86 percent), 

lack of support from institution administrators (65 percent), restrictive federal, state, or local 
17

policies (65 percent), lack of fit with institution’s mission (60 percent), lack of access to library 

or other resources for instructional support (58 percent), interinstitutional issues (57 percent), 

legal concerns (57 percent), and lack of perceived need (55 percent) (table 19). 

• Program development costs were perceived by 26 percent of institutions to be keeping them 

from starting or expanding distance education course offerings to a major extent (table 19). 

Other factors were reported as keeping the institution from starting or expanding distance 

education to a major extent by 1 percent to 17 percent of the institutions.

• Distance education program status was related to the extent to which some factors were 

perceived to be keeping institutions from starting or expanding their distance education course 

offerings. For institutions that did not plan to offer distance education in the next 3 years, 

factors perceived as keeping them from starting distance education to a major extent included 

lack of fit with the institution’s mission (44 percent), lack of perceived need (22 percent), 

program development costs (33 percent), limited technological infrastructure to support

distance education (24 percent), and concerns about course quality (26 percent) (table 20). 

Except for program development costs, these factors were generally not perceived to be 

limiting the expansion of distance education courses to a major extent for institutions that 

offered distance education in 2000–2001, with 3 to 9 percent of institutions offering distance 

education reporting major extent ratings for these factors. Program development costs were 

perceived to be a factor limiting the expansion of distance education courses to a major extent 

by 22 percent of the institutions that offered distance education in 2000–2001. However, 

program development costs were perceived as a limiting factor to a major extent more often by 

institutions that did not plan to offer than by institutions that offered distance education (33 

percent vs. 22 percent).
18
19

References

Knapp, L.G., Kelly, J.E., Whitmore, R.W., Wu, S., Gallego, L.M., and Grau, E. (2001). Postsecondary 

Institutions in the United States: Fall 2000 and Degrees and Other Awards Conferred: 1999–2000

(NCES 2002–156). U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC: National Center for

Education Statistics. 

Lewis, L., Snow, K., Farris, E., and Levin, D. (1999). Distance Education at Postsecondary Education 

Institutions: 1997–98 (NCES 2000-013). U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC:

National Center for Education Statistics. 

Lewis, L., Alexander, D., and Farris, E. (1997). Distance Education in Higher Education Institutions

(NCES 97-062). U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC: National Center for Education 

Statistics. 
20
21

Tables of Estimates and Standard Errors
22

Table 1. Number and percentage distribution of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting 

institutions, by distance education program status and institutional type and size: 

2000–2001

Distance education program status

Offered distance education 

in 2000–2001

Planned to offer distance 

education in the

next 3 years

Did not offer in 2000–2001 

and did not plan to offer in the 

next 3 years

Institutional type and size Total number 

of institutions

Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent

All institutions................................4,130 2,320 56 510 12 1,290 31

Institutional type 

Public 2-year................................ 1,070 960 90 50 5 50 5

Private 2-year................................ 640 100 16 150 23 400 62

Public 4-year................................ 620 550 89 20 3 50 8

Private 4-year................................ 1,800 710 40 290 16 790 44

Size of institution

Less than 3,000 ................................ 2,840 1,160 41 460 16 1,220 43

3,000 to 9,999................................ 870 770 88 50 5 60 7

10,000 or more................................ 420 400 95 10 2 10 2

NOTE: Percentages are based on the estimated 4,130 2-year and 4-year Title IV-eligible, degree-granting institutions in the nation. Detail may 

not sum to totals because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Postsecondary Education Quick Information System, 

“Survey on Distance Education at Higher Education Institutions, 2000–2001,” 2002.
23

Table 1a. Standard errors of the number and percentage distribution of 2-year and 4-year Title 

IV degree-granting institutions, by distance education program status and institutional 

type and size: 2000–2001

Distance education program status

Offered distance education 

in 2000–2001

Planned to offer distance 

education in the 

next 3 years

Did not offer in 2000–2001 

and did not plan to offer in 

the next 3 years

Institutional type and size Total number 

of institutions

Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent

All institutions................................ 22.7 54.4 1.2 27.6 0.7 46.6 1.2

Institutional type 

Public 2-year................................ 11.2 17.4 2.0 13.2 1.2 16.2 1.5

Private 2-year................................ 11.7 21.0 3.2 22.6 3.3 28.9 5.0

Public 4-year................................ 4.2 10.9 1.9 5.7 0.9 9.7 1.5

Private 4-year................................ 19.0 40.3 2.2 30.4 1.7 35.2 2.0

Size of institution

Less than 3,000 ................................ 22.6 53.9 1.7 30.1 1.0 46.6 1.8

3,000 to 9,999................................ 8.7 8.2 1.2 8.9 1.0 7.3 0.8

10,000 or more................................ 0.1 0.1 # # # # #

# Rounds to zero.

NOTE: Standard errors are computed on unrounded numbers.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Postsecondary Education Quick Information System, 

“Survey on Distance Education at Higher Education Institutions, 2000–2001,” 2002.
24

Table 2. Percent of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting institutions that offered distance 

education courses, by institutional type and size: 2001–02 

Institutional type and size

Percent of institutions 

offering any distance 

education courses 

in 2001–02

All institutions................................................................................................................................. 59

Institutional type

Public 2-year...................................................................................................................................... 92

Private 2-year..................................................................................................................................... 16

Public 4-year...................................................................................................................................... 91

Private 4-year..................................................................................................................................... 44

Size of institution

Less than 3,000 .................................................................................................................................. 44

3,000 to 9,999.................................................................................................................................... 90

10,000 or more................................................................................................................................... 97

NOTE: Based on the estimated 4,130 2-year and 4-year Title IV-eligible, degree-granting institutions in the nation. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Postsecondary Education Quick Information System, 

“Survey on Distance Education at Higher Education Institutions, 2000–2001,” 2002.
25

Table 2a. Standard errors of the percent of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting 

institutions that offered distance education courses, by institutional type and size: 

2001–02

Institutional type and size

Percent of institutions 

offering any distance 

education courses 

in 2001–02

All institutions................................................................................................................................. 1.4

Institutional type

Public 2-year...................................................................................................................................... 1.8

Private 2-year..................................................................................................................................... 2.5

Public 4-year...................................................................................................................................... 1.6

Private 4-year..................................................................................................................................... 2.7

Size of institution

Less than 3,000 .................................................................................................................................. 2.0

3,000 to 9,999.................................................................................................................................... 0.9

10,000 or more................................................................................................................................... #

# Rounds to zero.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Postsecondary Education Quick Information System, 

“Survey on Distance Education at Higher Education Institutions, 2000–2001,” 2002.
26

Table 3. Total number of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting institutions, and the number 

and percent of institutions that offered distance education courses, by level of 

institutional offerings: 2000–2001

Offered college-level, credit-granting distance education courses

Offered any distance 

education courses Courses at either level

Undergraduate 

courses

Graduate/firstprofessional courses

Level of institutional offerings

Total 

number of 

institutions

Number Percent1 Number Percent1 Number Percent1 Number Percent1

All institutions................................ 4,130 2,320 56 2,280 55 1,980 48 890 22

Institutions with undergraduate 

programs................................ 3,810 2,170 57 2,150 57 1,980 52 760 20

Institutions with graduate/firstprofessional programs................................ 1,700 1,080 63 1,050 62 750 44 880 52

1

Percentages are based on the total number of institutions in that row.

NOTE: The numbers of institutions with undergraduate or graduate/first-professional programs do not sum to all institutions since many 

institutions have both levels of offerings. Information about whether an institution has undergraduate or graduate/first -professional programs 

(either on campus or distance education) is based on the 2000 Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System “Institutional Characteristics” 

file. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Postsecondary Education Quick Information System, 

“Survey on Distance Education at Higher Education Institutions, 2000–2001,” 2002.
27

Table 3a. Standard errors of the total number of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting 

institutions, and of the number and percent of institutions that offered distance 

education courses, by level of institutional offerings: 2000–2001

Offered college-level, credit-granting distance education courses

Offered any distance 

education courses Courses at either level

Undergraduate 

courses

Graduate/firstprofessional courses

Level of institutional offerings

Total 

number of 

institutions

Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent

All institutions................................22.7 54.4 1.2 60.3 1.3 49.4 1.1 38.0 0.9

Institutions with undergraduate 

programs................................ 24.0 45.5 1.1 46.7 1.2 49.2 1.3 25.5 0.7

Institutions with graduate/firstprofessional programs................................ 33.5 37.7 2.4 41.3 2.5 28.1 2.0 38.9 2.3

NOTE: Standard errors are computed on unrounded numbers.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Postsecondary Education Quick Information System, 

“Survey on Distance Education at Higher Education Institutions, 2000–2001,” 2002.
28

Table 4. Number of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting institutions that offered distance 

education courses, total enrollment in all distance education courses, and enrollment in 

college-level, credit-granting distance education courses, by institutional type and size: 

2000–2001

Number of enrollments in college-level, 

credit-granting distance education courses

Institutional type and size Total number of 

institutions

Number of 

institutions that 

offered distance 

education 

courses

Total number of 

enrollments in 

all distance 

education 

courses

Enrollment in 

courses at both 

levels

Enrollments in 

undergraduate 

courses

Enrollments in 

graduate/

first-professional 

courses

All institutions................ 4,130 2,320 3,077,000 2,876,000 2,350,000 510,000

Institutional type1

Public 2-year.................... 1,070 960 1,472,000 1,436,000 1,435,000 ‡

2

Public 4-year.................... 620 550 945,000 888,000 566,000 308,000

Private 4-year................... 1,800 710 589,000 480,000 278,000 202,000

Size of institution

Less than 3,000................. 2,840 1,160 486,000 460,000 368,000 91,000

3,000 to 9,999.................. 870 770 1,171,000 1,132,000 932,000 197,000

10,000 or more................. 420 400 1,420,000 1,284,000 1,049,000 222,000

‡Reporting standards not met.

1Data for private 2-year institutions are not reported in a separate category because too few private 2-year institutions in the sample offered 

distance education courses in 2000–2001 to make reliable estimates. Data for private 2-year institutions are included in the totals and in analyses 

by other institutional characteristics. 

2Two-year branches of public 4-year institutions occasionally offer graduate/first -professional level courses.

NOTE: Enrollments may include duplicated counts of students, since institutions were instructed to count a student enrolled in multiple courses 

for each course in which he or she was enrolled. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding, missing data, or because too few cases were 

reported for a reliable estimate for private 2-year institutions. (See appendix A for details.)

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Postsecondary Education Quick Information System, 

“Survey on Distance Education at Higher Education Institutions, 2000–2001,” 2002.
29

Table 4a. Standard errors of the number of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting 

institutions that offered distance education courses, of the total enrollment in all 

distance education courses, and of enrollment in college-level, credit-granting distance 

education courses, by institutional type and size: 2000–2001

Number of enrollments in college-level, 

credit-granting distance education courses

Institutional type and size Total number of 

institutions

Number of 

institutions that 

offered distance 

education 

courses

Total number of 

enrollments in 

all distance 

education 

courses

Enrollment in 

courses at both 

levels

Enrollments in 

undergraduate 

courses

Enrollments in 

graduate/

first-professional 

courses

All institutions................ 22.7 54.4 60,179.5 58,248.2 46,292.1 28,466.0

Institutional type

Public 2-year.................... 11.2 17.4 32,568.7 31,732.9 31,776.1 ‡

Public 4-year.................... 4.2 10.9 25,027.8 25,485.8 15,639.0 14,130.7

Private 4-year................... 19.0 40.3 46,425.9 44,127.6 29,767.6 24,387.6

Size of instit ution

Less than 3,000................. 22.6 53.9 45,737.6 43,809.1 35,233.7 15,799.7

3,000 to 9,999.................. 8.7 8.2 41,500.5 41,371.7 31,619.2 23,678.8

10,000 or more................. 0.1 0.1 649.7 649.7 649.7 #

‡ Reporting standards not met.

# Rounds to zero.

NOTE: Standard errors are computed on unrounded numbers.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Postsecondary Education Quick Information System, 

“Survey on Distance Education at Higher Education Institutions, 2000–2001,” 2002.
30

Table 5. Percentage distribution of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting institutions 

offering distance education courses, by enrollment in distance education courses and 

type of course: 2000–2001

Percentage distribution of institutions by enrollments in:

Enrollments in distance education courses

All distance education courses

College-level, credit-granting 

distance education courses

0

1

.................................................................................................... † 1

1–100.............................................................................................. 22 23

101–500........................................................................................... 30 30

501–1,000 ........................................................................................ 16 16

1,001–2,500...................................................................................... 17 16

More than 2,500................................................................................ 15 14

† Not applicable.

1One percent of the institutions that offered distance education courses did not offer college-level, credit-granting distance education courses.

NOTE: Percentages are based on the estimated 2,320 institutions that offered any distance education courses in 2000–2001. Enrollments may 

include duplicated counts of students, since institutions were instructed to count a student enrolled in multiple courses for each course in which he 

or she was enrolled. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Postsecondary Education Quick Information System, 

“Survey on Distance Education at Higher Education Institutions, 2000–2001,” 2002.
31

Table 5a. Standard errors of the percentage distribution of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degreegranting institutions offering distance education courses, by enrollment in distance 

education courses and type of course: 2000–2001

Percentage distribution of institutions by enrollments in:

Enrollments in distance education courses

All distance education courses

College-level, credit-granting 

distance education courses

0 ..................................................................................................... † 0.4

1–100.............................................................................................. 1.9 1.9

101–500........................................................................................... 1.7 1.6

501–1,000 ........................................................................................ 1.0 1.0

1,001–2,500...................................................................................... 1.0 0.9

More than 2,500................................................................................ 0.6 0.6

† Not applicable.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Postsecondary Education Quick Information System, 

“Survey on Distance Education at Higher Education Institutions, 2000–2001,” 2002.
32

Table 6. Number of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting institutions that offered distance 

education courses, total number of different distance education courses, and the number 

of different college-level, credit-granting distance education courses, by institutional type 

and size: 2000–2001

Number of different college-level, 

credit-granting distance education courses offered

Institutional type and size Total number of 

institutions

Number of 

institutions that 

offered distance 

education 

courses

Total number of 

different 

distance 

education 

courses

Courses at both 

levels

Undergraduate 

courses

Graduate/firstprofessional 

courses

All institutions................ 4,130 2,320 127,400 118,100 89,600 27,500

Institutional type1

Public 2-year.................... 1,070 960 55,900 51,000 50,900 1002

Public 4-year.................... 620 550 43,100 40,700 22,000 17,600

Private 4-year................... 1,800 710 26,500 24,700 14,900 9,800

Size of institution

Less than 3,000................. 2,840 1,160 34,600 33,200 26,800 6,500

3,000 to 9,999.................. 870 770 52,300 47,200 37,300 9,300

10,000 or more................. 420 400 40,500 37,800 25,600 11,800

1Data for private 2-year institutions are not reported in a separate category because too few private 2-year institutions in the sample offered 

distance education courses in 2000–2001 to make reliable estimates. Data for private 2-year institutions are included in the totals and in analyses 

by other institutional characteristics. 

2Two-year branches of public 4-year institutions occasionally offer graduate/first -professional level courses.

NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding, missing data, or because too few cases were reported for a reliable estimate for private 

2-year institutions. (See appendix A for details.)

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Postsecondary Education Quick Information System, 

“Survey on Distance Education at Higher Education Institutions, 2000–2001,” 2002.
33

Table 6a. Standard errors of the number of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting 

institutions that offered distance education courses, of the total number of different 

distance education courses, and of the number of different college -level, credit-granting 

distance education courses, by institutional type and size: 2000–2001

Number of different college-level, 

credit-granting distance education courses offered

Institutional type and size Total number of 

institutions

Number of 

institutions that 

offered distance 

education 

courses

Total number of 

different 

distance 

education 

courses

Courses at both 

levels

Undergraduate 

courses

Graduate/firstprofessional 

courses

All institutions................ 22.7 54.4 2,736.0 2,838.9 2,217.6 1,290.4

Institutional type

Public 2-year.................... 11.2 17.4 1,621.4 1,603.3 1,616.9 59.5

Public 4-year.................... 4.2 10.9 1,709.3 1,751.2 1,052.3 910.2

Private 4-year................... 19.0 40.3 2,029.2 1,944.4 1,530.1 937.7

Size of institution

Less than 3,000................. 22.6 53.9 2,397.0 2,459.6 2,017.5 858.8

3,000 to 9,999.................. 8.7 8.2 1,388.5 1,497.3 1,005.6 963.1

10,000 or more................. 0.1 0.1 15.6 15.6 15.6 #

# Rounds to zero.

NOTE: Standard errors are computed on unrounded numbers.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Postsecondary Education Quick Information System, 

“Survey on Distance Education at Higher Education Institutions, 2000–2001,” 2002.
34

Table 7. Percentage distribution of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting institutions 

offering distance education courses, by the number of distance education courses offered 

and type of course: 2000–2001

Percentage distribution of institutions by type of courses offered

Number of distance education courses

All distance education courses

College-level, credit-granting 

distance education courses

0

1

................................................................................................... † 1

1–10 ............................................................................................... 27 27

11–30 ............................................................................................. 25 25

31–50 ............................................................................................. 15 16

51–100............................................................................................ 19 18

More than 100................................................................................. 15 14

† Not applicable.

1One percent of the institutions that offered distance education courses did not offer college-level, credit-granting distance education courses.

NOTE: Percentages are based on the estimated 2,320 institutions that offered any distance education courses in 2000–2001. If a course had 

multiple sections or was offered multiple times during the academic year, institutions were instructed to count it as only one course. Detail may 

not sum to totals because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Postsecondary Education Quick Information System, 

“Survey on Distance Education at Higher Education Institutions, 2000–2001,” 2002.
35

Table 7a. Standard errors of the percentage distribution of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degreegranting institutions offering distance education courses, by the number of distance 

education courses offered and type of course: 2000–2001

Percentage distribution of institutions by type of courses offered

Number of distance education courses

All distance education courses

College-level, credit-granting 

distance education courses

0 ..................................................................................................... † 0.4

1–10 ................................................................................................ 1.4 1.4

11–30 .............................................................................................. 1.3 1.3

31–50 .............................................................................................. 1.0 1.0

51–100............................................................................................. 1.0 1.0

More than 100.................................................................................. 0.6 0.6

† Not applicable.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Postsecondary Education Quick Information System, 

“Survey on Distance Education at Higher Education Institutions, 2000–2001,” 2002.
36

Table 8. Percent of all 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting institutions offering any 

distance education courses, and the percent that had college -level degree or certificate 

programs designed to be completed totally through distance education, by institutional 

type and size: 2000–2001

Programs designed to be completed totally through distance education

Any college-level degree 

or certificate programs

Degree programs Certificate programs

Institutional t ype and 

size

Offered any 

distance 

education 

courses1

All 

institutions1

Institutions 

with 

distance 

education 

courses2

Degree 

programs at 

either level2

Undergraduate 

degree 

programs3

Graduate/ 

firstprofessional 

degree 

programs4

Certificate 

programs at 

either level2

Undergraduate 

certificate 

programs3

Graduate/ 

firstprofessional 

certificate 

programs4

All institutions............... 56 19 34 30 21 35 16 12 13

Institutional type5

Public 2-year.................... 90 22 25 20 20 † 15 15 †

Public 4-year.................... 89 47 53 48 28 43 25 13 18

Private 4-year................... 40 14 36 33 19 28 14 10 10

Size of institution

Less than 3,000 ................ 41 11 27 22 16 21 12 11 6

3,000 to 9,999.................. 88 32 37 34 25 38 14 12 12

10,000 or more................. 95 49 51 47 27 57 30 16 30

† Not applicable for 2-year institutions.

1Based on the estimated 4,130 2-year and 4-year Title IV-eligible, degree-granting institutions in the nation.

2Based on the estimated 2,320 institutions that offered any distance education courses in 2000–2001.

3Based on the estimated 2,170 institutions that had undergraduate programs and that offered any distance education courses in 2000–2001.

4Based on the estimated 1,080 institutions that had graduate or first -professional programs and that offered any distance education courses in 

2000–2001.

5Data for private 2-year institutions are not report ed in a separate category because too few private 2-year institutions in the sample offered 

distance education courses in 2000–2001 to make reliable estimates. Data for private 2-year institutions are included in the totals and in analyses 

by other instit utional characteristics.

NOTE: Although 2-year institutions do not offer graduate degrees, they sometimes offer individual graduate courses.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Postsecondary Education Quick Information System, 

“Survey on Distance Education at Higher Education Institutions, 2000–2001,” 2002.
37

Table 8a. Standard errors of the percent of all 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting 

institutions offering any distance education courses, and of the percent that had collegelevel degree or certificate programs designed to be completed totally through distance 

education, by institutional type and size: 2000–2001

Programs designed to be completed totally through distance education

Any college-level degree 

or certificate programs

Degree programs Certificate programs

Institutional type and 

size

Offered any 

distance 

education 

courses

All 

institutions

Institutions 

with 

distance 

education 

courses

Degree 

programs at 

either level

Undergraduate 

degree 

programs

Graduate/ 

firstprofessional 

degree 

programs

Certificate 

programs at 

either level

Undergraduate 

certificate 

programs

Graduate/ 

firstprofessional 

certificate 

programs

All institutions............... 1.2 0.8 1.2 1.3 1.2 1.9 1.0 0.9 1.0

Institutional type

Public 2-year.................... 2.0 1.6 1.8 1.5 1.5 † 1.5 1.5 †

Public 4-year.................... 1.9 1.6 2.0 2.0 1.6 1.9 1.4 1.2 0.6

Private 4-year................... 2.2 1.5 3.2 3.4 3.1 3.0 2.1 2.0 1.7

Size of institution

Less than 3,000 ................ 1.7 1.1 2.3 2.4 2.6 3.5 1.9 1.8 1.9

3,000 to 9,999.................. 1.2 1.3 1.5 1.5 1.1 2.8 1.0 1.0 1.5

10,000 or more................. # # # # # # # # #

† Not applicable for 2-year institutions.

# Rounds to zero.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Postsecondary Education Quick Information System, 

“Survey on Distance Education at Higher Education Institutions, 2000–2001,” 2002.
38

Table 9. Number of college-level degree and certificate programs designed to be completed totally 

through distance education offered by 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting 

institutions, by institutional type and size: 2000–2001

Programs designed to be completed totally through distance education

Degree programs Certificate programs

Institutional type and size

Degree 

programs at 

both levels

Undergraduate 

degree 

programs

Graduate/

firstprofessional 

degree 

programs

Certificate 

programs at 

both levels

Undergraduate 

certificate 

programs

Graduate/ 

firstprofessional 

certificate 

programs

All institutions................................ 2,810 1,570 1,240 1,330 850 470

Institutional type1

Public 2-year..................................... 520 520 † 430 430 †

Public 4-year..................................... 1,090 410 680 480 220 250

Private 4-year.................................... 1,160 600 560 420 200 220

Size of institution

Less than 3,000 ................................. 880 570 310 330 280 60

3,000 to 9,999................................... 1,000 650 350 480 300 180

10,000 or more.................................. 940 360 580 510 280 240

† Not applicable for 2-year institutions.

1Data for private 2-year institutions are not reported in a separate category because too few private 2-year institutions in the sample offered 

distance education courses in 2000–2001 to make reliable estimates. Data for private 2-year institutions are included in the totals and in analyses 

by other institutional characteristics. 

NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding or because too few cases were reported for a reliable estimate for private 2-year 

institutions. Although 2-year institutions do not offer graduate degrees, they sometimes offer individual graduate courses.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Postsecondary Education Quick Information System, 

“Survey on Distance Education at Higher Education Institutions, 2000–2001,” 2002.
39

Table 9a. Standard errors of the number of college -level degree and certificate programs 

designed to be completed totally through distance education offered by 2-year and 

4-year Title IV degree-granting institutions, by institutional type and size: 2000–2001

Programs designed to be completed totally through distance education

Degree programs Certificate programs

Institutional type and size

Degree 

programs at 

both levels

Undergraduate 

degree 

programs

Graduate/

firstprofessional 

degree 

programs

Certificate 

programs at 

both levels

Undergraduate 

certificate 

program

Graduate/ 

firstprofessional 

certificate 

programs

All institutions................................ 181.8 172.8 75.0 98.0 76.5 49.3

Institutional type

Public 2-year..................................... 43.1 43.1 † 54.9 54.9 †

Public 4-year..................................... 36.3 27.8 20.7 18.3 8.5 13.9

Private 4-year.................................... 173.2 164.7 72.5 64.0 38.5 46.8

Size of institution

Less than 3,000 ................................. 174.7 166.4 66.2 72.0 60.2 25.5

3,000 to 9,999................................... 61.5 55.6 35.3 66.4 47.3 42.2

10,000 or more.................................. 0.1 0.1 # 0.1 0.1 #

† Not applicable for 2-year institutions.

# Rounds to zero.

NOTE: Standard errors are computed on unrounded numbers.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Postsecondary Education Quick Information System, 

“Survey on Distance Education at Higher Education Institutions, 2000–2001,” 2002.
40

Table 10. Percent of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting institutions offering any distance 

education courses, by primary technology for instructional delivery for distance 

education courses, and by institutional type and size: 2000–2001

Primary technology for instructional delivery

Institutional type and 

size

Twoway 

video 

with 

two-way 

audio1

One-way 

video 

with 

two-way 

audio

One-way 

live 

video

One-way 

prerecorded 

video

Twoway 

audio 

transmission

One-way 

audio 

transmission 

Synchronous 

Internet 

courses2

Asynchronous 

Internet 

courses3

CDROM

Multimode 

packages

Other 

technologies

All institutions................................ 51 11 8 41 9 11 43 90 29 19 3

Institutional type4

Public 2-year................................ 60 13 9 57 7 11 40 95 30 21 2

Public 4-year................................ 80 15 13 40 11 10 55 87 29 29 5

Private 4-year................................ 22 6 4 24 11 12 35 86 23 11 3

Size of institution

Less than 3,000 ................................ 39 6 4 29 8 9 36 87 22 11 2

3,000 to 9,999................................ 57 10 10 49 10 10 46 92 31 22 3

10,000 or more................................ 70 26 17 61 12 18 56 95 43 36 5

1The wording in the questionnaire was “Two -way video with two-way audio (i.e., two-way interactive video).”

2The wording in the questionnaire was “Internet courses using synchronous (i.e., simultaneous or “real time”) computer-based instruction.”

3The wording in the questionnaire was “Internet courses using asynchronous (i.e., not simultaneous) computer-based instruction.”

4Data for private 2-year institutions are not reported in a separate category because too few private 2-year institutions in the sample offered 

distance education courses in 2000–2001 to make reliable estimates. Data for private 2-year institutions are included in the totals and in analyses 

by other institutional characteristics.

NOTE: Percentages are based on the estimated 2,320 institutions that offered any distance education courses in 2000–2001. Percentages sum to 

more than 100 because institutions could use different types of technologies as primary modes of instructional delivery for different distance 

education courses. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Postsecondary Education Quick Information System, 

“Survey on Distance Education at Higher Education Institutions, 2000–2001,” 2002.
41

Table 10a. Standard errors of the percent of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting 

institutions offering any distance education courses, by primary technology for 

instructional delivery for distance education courses, and by institutional type and 

size: 2000–2001

Primary technology for instructional delivery

Institutional type and 

size

Twoway 

video 

with 

two-way 

audio

One-way 

video 

with 

two-way 

audio

One-way 

live 

video

One-way 

prerecorded 

video

Twoway

audio 

transmission 

One-way 

audio 

transmission 

Synchronous 

Internet 

courses

Asynchronous 

Internet 

courses

CDROM

Multimode 

packages

Other 

technologies

All institutions................................ 1.5 0.6 0.7 1.5 0.9 0.8 1.0 1.1 1.6 1.1 0.4

Institutional type

Public 2-year................................ 2.2 1.1 1.0 1.7 1.1 1.0 1.9 0.9 2.1 1.3 0.4

Public 4-year................................ 1.6 0.8 1.1 1.8 1.0 0.8 1.5 1.7 1.3 1.7 0.8

Private 4-year................................ 2.3 1.4 1.1 2.7 2.2 2.1 2.8 3.1 2.8 1.8 0.9

Size of institution

Less than 3,000 ................................ 2.7 1.2 1.2 2.8 1.7 1.4 1.8 2.2 2.9 1.9 0.7

3,000 to 9,999................................ 1.6 0.8 1.2 1.5 0.9 0.8 1.2 0.9 1.6 1.6 0.6

10,000 or more................................ # # # # # # # # # # #

# Rounds to zero.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Postsecondary Education Quick Information System, 

“Survey on Distance Education at Higher Education Institutions, 2000–2001,” 2002.
42

Table 11. Percentage distribution of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting institutions that 

offered distance education courses in 2000–2001 or planned to offer distance education 

in the next 3 years, by the planned level of distance education course offerings over the 

next 3 years, and by the planned primary technology for instructional delivery: 2002

Planned level of distance education course offerings

Primary t echnology for instructional delivery Reduce the 

number

Keep the same 

number

Start or increase 

the number

No plans to use 

the technology

Two-way video with two-way audio (two-way

interactive video)................................................................ 4 13 40 43

One-way video with two-way audio................................ 2 4 12 82

One-way live video ................................................................ 1 4 11 84

One-way prerecorded video................................................................6 15 23 56

Two-way audio transmission................................................................1 4 9 86

One-way audio transmission................................................................1 5 13 81

Internet courses using synchronous computer-based 

instruction................................................................ 1 4 62 33

Internet courses using asynchronous computerbased instruction................................................................ 1 6 88 6

CD-ROM................................................................ 1 8 39 53

Multi-mode packages................................................................ ‡ 2 31 67

Other technologies................................................................ # # 5 94

# Rounds to zero.

‡ Reporting standards not met.

NOTE: This question was asked in the present tense rather than referring to 2000–2001, and thus the estimates reflect the responses of the 

institutions at the time the data were collected in spring 2002. Percentages are based on the estimated 2,580 institutions that either offered 

distance education courses in 2000–2001 (2,320 institutions), or that planned to offer distance education courses in the next 3 years and could 

report about their technology plans (490 institutions). Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Postsecondary Education Quick Information System, 

“Survey on Distance Education at Higher Education Institutions, 2000–2001,” 2002.
43

Table 11a. Standard errors of the percentage distribution of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degreegranting institutions that offered distance education courses in 2000–2001 or planned 

to offer distance education in the next 3 years, by the planned level of distance 

education course offerings over the next 3 years, and by the planned primary 

technology for instructional delivery: 2002

Planned level of distance education course offerings

Primary technology for instructional delivery Reduce the 

number

Keep the same 

number

Start or increase 

the number

No plans to use 

the technology

Two-way video with two-way audio (two-way 

interactive video)................................................................ 0.6 0.8 1.6 1.5

One-way video with two-way audio................................ 0.2 0.5 0.9 1.1

One-way live video ................................................................ 0.1 0.4 0.9 0.9

One-way prerecorded video................................................................ 06 1.0 1.2 1.7

Two-way audio transmission................................................................ 02 0.5 0.8 0.8

One-way audio transmission................................................................ 03 0.5 1.3 1.1

Internet courses using synchronous computer-based 

instruction................................................................ 0.2 0.5 1.4 1.4

Internet courses using asynchronous computerbased instruction................................................................ 0.2 0.7 0.9 0.7

CD-ROM................................................................ 0.2 0.9 1.6 1.8

Multi-mode packages................................................................ ‡ 0.3 1.1 1.2

Other technologies................................................................ 0.1 0.1 0.8 0.9

‡Reporting standards not met.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Postsecondary Education Quick Information System, 

“Survey on Distance Education at Higher Education Institutions, 2000–2001,” 2002.
44

Table 12. Percent of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting institutions that planned to start 

or increase their use of various technologies as the primary mode of instructional 

delivery during the next 3 years, by distance education program status and type of 

technology: 2002

Distance education program status

Primary technology for instructional delivery Institutions that offered 

distance education 

in 2000–20011

Institutions that 

planned to offer 

distance education in 

the next 3 years2

Two-way video with two-way audio (two-way interactive video)............................. 43 26

One-way video with two-way audio...................................................................... 12 12

One-way live video ............................................................................................. 11 14

One-way prerecorded video.................................................................................. 22 28

Two-way audio transmission................................................................................ 9 9

One-way audio transmission................................................................................. 12 14

Internet courses using synchronous computer-based instruction................................ 64 52

Internet courses using asynchronous computer-based instruction.............................. 88 86

CD-ROM........................................................................................................... 39 39

Multi-mode packages.......................................................................................... 35 14

Other technologies.............................................................................................. 5 3

1

Percentages are based on the estimated 2,320 institutions that offered distance education courses in 2000–2001.

2

Percentages are based on the estimated 490 institutions that planned to offer distance education courses in the next 3 years and could report about 

their technology plans. 

NOTE: This question was asked in the present tense rather than referring to 2000–2001, and thus the estimates reflect the responses of the 

institutions at the time the data were collected in spring 2002.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Postsecondary Education Quick Information System, 

“Survey on Distance Education at Higher Education Institutions, 2000–2001,” 2002.
45

Table 12a. Standard errors of the percent of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting 

institutions that planned to start or increase their use of various technologies as the 

primary mode of instructional delivery during the next 3 years, by distance education 

program status and type of technology: 2002

Distance education program status

Primary technology for instructional delivery Institutions that offered 

distance education 

in 2000–2001

Institutions that 

planned to offer 

distance education in 

the next 3 years

Two-way video with two-way audio (two-way interactive video)............................. 1.9 3.5

One-way video with two-way audio...................................................................... 0.9 2.9

One-way live video ............................................................................................. 0.8 3.9

One-way prerecorded video.................................................................................. 1.0 4.8

Two-way audio transmission................................................................................ 0.9 2.5

One-way audio transmission................................................................................. 1.0 4.2

Internet courses using synchronous computer-based instruction................................ 1.0 6.3

Internet courses using asynchronous computer-based instruction.............................. 1.2 3.6

CD-ROM........................................................................................................... 1.4 5.1

Multi-mode packages.......................................................................................... 1.3 3.6

Other technologies.............................................................................................. 0.9 1.6

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Postsecondary Education Quick Information System, 

“Survey on Distance Education at Higher Education Institutions, 2000–2001,” 2002.
46

Table 13. Percent of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting institutions offering distance 

education courses in 2000–2001 that participate in any distance education consortia, 

and the percent in those institutions that participate in various types of consortia, by 

institutional type and size: 2002

Type of consortium 1

Institutional type and size

Participated in 

any distance 

education 

consortia System State Regional National International

All institutions................................ 60 50 75 27 14 4

Institutional type2

Public 2-year.................................... 83 49 87 23 6 2

Public 4-year.................................... 68 62 67 30 20 9

Private 4-year................................... 25 30 56 36 37 7

Size of institution

Less than 3,000................................. 48 49 70 26 13 3

3,000 to 9,999.................................. 67 54 78 25 12 3

10,000 or more................................. 78 46 77 33 21 9

1Based on institutions that participated in any distance education consortia.

2Data for private 2-year institutions are not reported in a separate category because too few private 2-year institutions in the sample offered 

distance education courses in 2000–2001 to make reliable estimates. Data for private 2-year institutions are included in the totals and in analyses 

by other institutional characteristics.

NOTE: This question was asked in the present tense rather than referring to 2000–2001, and thus the estimates reflect the responses of the 

institutions at the time the data were collected in spring 2002.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Postsecondary Education Quick Information System, 

“Survey on Distance Education at Higher Education Institutions, 2000–2001,” 2002.
47

Table 13a. Standard errors of the percent of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting 

institutions offering distance education courses in 2000–2001 that participate in any 

distance education consortia, and of the percent in those institutions that participate 

in various types of consortia, by institutional type and size: 2002

Type of consortium

Institutional type and size

Participated in 

any distance 

education 

consortia System State Regional National International

All institutions................................ 1.6 1.9 1.5 1.2 1.0 0.5

Institutional type

Public 2-year.................................... 1.4 2.3 1.5 1.6 1.0 0.6

Public 4-year.................................... 1.9 2.2 2.0 1.9 1.6 1.2

Private 4-year................................... 2.3 5.1 5.0 6.0 5.4 2.2

Size of institution

Less than 3,000................................. 3.0 4.5 3.5 2.6 2.3 1.0

3,000 to 9,999.................................. 1.2 1.3 1.2 1.4 1.3 0.8

10,000 or more................................. # # # # # #

# Rounds to zero.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Postsecondary Education Quick Information System, 

“Survey on Distance Education at Higher Education Institutions, 2000–2001,” 2002.
48

Table 14. Percentage distribution of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting institutions that 

offered distance education courses in 2000–2001, by the frequency of requests for 

accommodations for students with disabilities in distance education courses over the 

last 3 years, and by institutional type and size: 2002

Institutional type and size Never Occasionally Frequently Don’t know

All institutions................................ 37 45 3 15

Institutional type1

Public 2-year.................................... 30 52 4 14

Public 4-year.................................... 29 49 3 19

Private 4-year................................... 51 35 1 14

Size of institution

Less than 3,000................................. 48 37 1 14

3,000 to 9,999.................................. 32 49 3 16

10,000 or more................................. 18 59 6 18

1Data for private 2-year institutions are not reported in a separate category because too few private 2-year institutions in the sample offered 

distance education courses in 2000–2001 to make reliable estimates. Data for private 2-year institutions are included in the totals and in analyses 

by other institutional characteristics.

NOTE: This question was asked in the present tense rather than referring to 2000–2001, and thus the estimates reflect the responses of the 

institutions at the time the data were collected in spring 2002. Percents are based on the estimated 2,320 institutions that offered any distance 

education courses in 2000–2001. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Postsecondary Education Quick Information System, 

“Survey on Distance Education at Higher Education Institutions, 2000–2001,” 2002.
49

Table 14a. Standard errors of the percentage distribution of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degreegranting institutions that offered distance education courses in 2000–2001, by the 

frequency of requests for accommodations for students with disabilities in distance 

education courses over the last 3 years, and by institutional type and size: 2002

Institutional type and size Never Occasionally Frequently Don’t know

All institutions................................ 1.5 1.6 0.3 0.9

Institutional type

Public 2-year.................................... 1.9 1.9 0.6 1.4

Public 4-year.................................... 2.2 2.1 0.3 1.7

Private 4-year................................... 3.5 3.5 0.2 1.7

Size of institution

Less than 3,000................................. 2.9 3.0 0.4 1.6

3,000 to 9,999.................................. 1.2 1.3 0.5 0.9

10,000 or more................................. # # # #

# Rounds to zero.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Postsecondary Education Quick Information System, 

“Survey on Distance Education at Higher Education Institutions, 2000–2001,” 2002.
50

Table 15. Percent of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting institutions that offered distance 

education courses in 2000–2001 that used web sites in those courses, and the percentage 

distribution of those institutions by the extent the ir web sites follow established 

accessibility guidelines or recommendations for users with disabilities, by institutional 

type and size: 2002

Extent to which web sites follow established accessibility guidelines 

or recommendations for users with disabilities2

Institutional type and size

Use web sites 

for distance 

education 

courses1

Not at all

Minor 

extent

Moderate 

extent

Major 

extent Don’t know

All institutions................................ 95 3 18 28 18 33

Institutional type3

Public 2-year................................ 96 4 18 30 20 28

Public 4-year................................ 93 2 18 35 22 23

Private 4-year................................ 94 4 21 23 11 42

Size of institution

Less than 3,000................................ 93 3 19 22 12 43

3,000 to 9,999................................ 97 4 19 32 19 26

10,000 or more................................ 98 1 14 37 30 19

1

Percents are based on the estimated 2,320 institutions that offered any distance education courses in 2000–2001.

2

Percents are based on institutions that use web sites for distance education courses.

3Data for private 2-year institutions are not reported in a separate category because too few private 2-year institutions in the sample offered 

distance education courses in 2000–2001 to make reliable estimates. Data for private 2-year institutions are included in the totals and in analyses 

by other institutional characteristics.

NOTE: This question was asked in the present tense rather than referring to 2000–2001, and thus the estimates reflect the responses of the 

institutions at the time the data were collected in spring 2002. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Postsecondary Education Quick Information System, 

“Survey on Distance Education at Higher Education Institutions, 2000–2001,” 2002.
51

Table 15a. Standard errors of the percent of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting 

institutions that offered distance education courses in 2000–2001 that used web sites in 

those courses, and the standard errors of the percentage distribution of those 

institutions by the extent the ir web sites follow established accessibility guidelines or 

recommendations for users with disabilities, by institutional type and size: 2002

Extent to which web sites follow established accessibility guidelines 

or recommendations for users with disabilities

Institutional type and size

Use web sites 

for distance 

education 

courses Not at all

Minor 

extent

Moderate 

extent

Major 

extent Don’t know

All institutions................................ 0.7 0.5 1.2 1.4 1.2 1.4

Institutional type

Public 2-year................................ 1.2 0.8 1.6 2.0 1.4 2.4

Public 4-year................................ 1.5 0.6 1.4 1.5 1.4 1.8

Private 4-year................................ 1.7 0.8 3.3 3.5 1.5 3.8

Size of institution

Less than 3,000................................ 1.4 0.9 2.3 2.7 2.3 2.7

3,000 to 9,999................................ 0.5 0.7 1.1 1.4 1.1 1.3

10,000 or more................................ # # # # # #

# Rounds to zero.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Postsecondary Education Quick Information System, 

“Survey on Distance Education at Higher Education Institutions, 2000–2001,” 2002.
52

Table 16. Percentage distribution of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting institutions that 

offered distance education courses in 2000–2001, by the level of importance in meeting 

various goals for distance education programs, and the percentage distribution of those 

institutions by the extent to which the institution is meeting those goals: 2002

Importance1 Extent goal met2

Distance education program goal Not 

important

Somewhat 

important

Very 

important

Not 

at all

Minor 

extent

Moderate 

extent

Major 

extent

Reducing institution’s per-student costs............ 38 47 15 16 45 35 4

Making educational opportunities more 

affordable for students.............................. 23 40 36 7 34 45 14

Increasing institution enrollments..................... 6 35 60 4 30 44 22

Increasing student access by reducing time 

constraints for course taking...................... 6 27 67 1 23 43 32

Increasing student access by making courses 

available at convenient locations............... 8 23 69 2 18 43 37

Increasing the institution’s access to new 

audiences.................................................. 5 30 65 4 33 44 19

Improving the quality of course offerings......... 15 28 57 2 29 51 18

Meeting the needs of local employers............... 25 38 37 6 40 42 12

1

Percents are based on the estimated 2,320 institutions that offered any distance education courses in 2000–2001. 

2

Percents are based on institutions that rated a given goal as somewhat or very important. 

NOTE: This question was asked in the present tense rather than referring to 2000–2001, and thus the estimates reflect the responses of the 

institutions at the time the data were collected in spring 2002. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Postsecondary Education Quick Information System, 

“Survey on Distance Education at Higher Education Institutions, 2000–2001,” 2002.
53

Table 16a. Standard errors of the percentage distribution of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degreegranting institutions that offered distance education courses in 2000–2001, by the level 

of importance in meeting various goals for distance education programs, and standard 

errors of the percentage distribution of those institutions by the extent to which the 

institution is meeting those goals: 2002

Importance Extent goal met

Distance education program goal Not 

important

Somewhat 

important

Very 

important

Not 

at all

Minor 

extent

Moderate 

extent

Major 

extent

Reducing institution’s per-student costs............ 1.6 1.7 1.0 1.6 1.9 1.6 0.7

Making educational opportunities more 

affordable for students.............................. 1.1 1.4 1.3 0.9 1.9 1.6 1.0

Increasing institution enrollments..................... 0.6 1.3 1.2 0.8 1.2 1.2 1.0

Increasing student access by reducing time 

constraints for course taking...................... 0.9 1.4 1.5 0.3 1.5 1.2 1.3

Increasing student access by making courses 

available at convenient locations............... 0.8 1.3 1.3 0.5 1.3 1.7 1.4

Increasing the institution’s access to new 

audiences ................................................. 0.7 1.5 1.5 0.5 1.3 1.6 1.1

Improving the quality of course offerings......... 1.1 1.3 1.6 0.4 1.4 2.1 1.1

Meeting the needs of local employers............... 1.3 1.0 1.3 0.6 1.2 1.6 1.2

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Postsecondary Education Quick Information System, 

“Survey on Distance Education at Higher Education Institutions, 2000–2001,” 2002.
54

Table 17. Percent of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting institutions that offered distance 

education courses in 2000–2001 indicating that various goals are very important to their 

distance education programs, by institutional type: 2002

Institutional type1

Distance education program goal All

institutions Public 

2-year

Public 

4-year

Private

4-year

Reducing institution’s per-student costs.............................................. 15 17 18 11

Making educational opportunities more affordable for students........... 36 46 36 26

Increasing institution enrollments........................................................ 60 64 58 57

Increasing student access by reducing time constraints for course 

taking.......................................................................................... 67 73 66 61

Increasing student access by making courses available at convenient 

locations...................................................................................... 69 73 72 65

Increasing the institution’s access to new audiences............................ 65 68 69 64

Improving the quality of course offerings............................................ 57 66 53 53

Meeting the needs of local employers................................................. 37 50 31 27

1Data for private 2-year institutions are not reported in a separate category because too few private 2-year institutions in the sample offered 

distance education courses in 2000–2001 to make reliable estimates. Data for private 2-year institutions are included in the totals.

NOTE: This question was asked in the present tense rather than referring to 2000–2001, and thus the estimates reflect the responses of the 

institutions at the time the data were collected in spring 2002. Percents are based on the estimated 2,320 institutions that offered any 

distance education courses in 2000–2001.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Postsecondary Education Quick Information System, 

“Survey on Dist ance Education at Higher Education Institutions, 2000–2001,” 2002.
55

Table 17a. Standard errors of the percent of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting 

institutions that offered distance education courses in 2000–2001 indicating that 

various goals are very important to their distance education programs, by institutional 

type: 2002

Institutional type

Distance education program goal All

institutions Public 

2-year

Public 

4-year

Private

4-year

Reducing institution’s per-student costs.............................................. 1.0 1.5 1.7 2.2

Making educational opportunities more affordable for students........... 1.3 1.8 2.0 2.5

Increasing institution enrollments........................................................ 1.2 1.8 1.3 3.2

Increasing student access by reducing time constraints for course 

taking.......................................................................................... 1.5 1.9 1.9 3.3

Increasing student access by making courses available at convenient 

locations...................................................................................... 1.3 1.8 1.8 3.2

Increasing the institution’s access to new audiences............................ 1.5 2.1 2.0 3.1

Improving the quality of course offerings............................................ 1.6 2.7 2.0 3.3

Meeting the needs of local employers................................................. 1.3 2.0 2.0 2.9

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Postsecondary Education Quick Information System, 

“Survey on Distance Education at Higher Education Institutions, 2000–2001,” 2002.
56

Table 18. Percentage distribution of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting institutions that 

offered distance education courses in 2000–2001, by the extent to which their distance 

education program has met various goals, and by the importance of the goals: 2002

Extent to which goal was met

Importance of goal Not 

at all

Minor 

extent

Moderate 

extent

Major 

extent

Reducing your institution’s per-student cost

 Somewhat important....................................................................... 18 48 31 3

 Very important ............................................................................... 9 35 47 10

Making educational opportunities more affordable for students

 Somewhat important....................................................................... 11 43 42 5

 Very important ............................................................................... 4 24 49 23

Increasing institution enrollments

 Somewhat important....................................................................... 6 43 42 9

 Very important ............................................................................... 3 23 45 29

Increasing student access by reducing time constraints for course 

taking

 Somewhat important....................................................................... 3 44 46 8

 Very important ............................................................................... 1 15 42 43

Increasing student access by making courses available at convenient 

locations

 Somewhat important....................................................................... 5 45 46 5

 Very important ............................................................................... 1 10 41 48

Increasing institution’s access to new audiences

 Somewhat important....................................................................... 4 55 36 4

 Very important ............................................................................... 4 23 48 26

Improving the quality of course offerings

 Somewhat important....................................................................... 4 55 40 1

 Very important ............................................................................... 1 16 56 27

Meeting the needs of local employers

 Somewhat important....................................................................... 8 57 34 1

 Very important ............................................................................... 3 24 50 23

NOTE: This question was asked in the present tense rather than referring to 2000–2001, and thus the estimates reflect the responses of the 

institutions at the time the data were collected in spring 2002. Percents are based on the estimated 2,320 institutions that offered distance 

education courses in 2000–2001 and that rated that goal as somewhat or very important to their distance education program. Detail may 

not sum to totals because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Postsecondary Education Quick Information System, 

“Survey on Distance Education at Higher Education Institutions, 2000–2001,” 2002.
57

Table 18a. Standard errors of the percentage distribution 2-year and 4-year Title IV degreegranting institutions that offered distance education courses in 2000–2001, by the 

extent to which their distance education program has met various goals, and by the 

importance of the goals: 2002

Extent to which goal was met

Importance of goal Not 

at all

Minor 

extent

Moderate 

extent

Major 

extent

Reducing your institution’s per-student cost

 Somewhat important....................................................................... 1.9 2.0 1.8 0.6

 Very important ............................................................................... 2.2 4.0 4.3 1.7

Making educational opportunities more affordable for students

 Somewhat important....................................................................... 1.6 2.6 2.4 1.0

 Very important ............................................................................... 0.8 2.2 2.6 1.7

Increasing institution enrollments

Somewhat important....................................................................... 1.8 2.2 2.1 1.1

 Very important ............................................................................... 0.9 1.4 1.5 1.3

Increasing student access by reducing time constraints for course 

taking

 Somewhat important....................................................................... 0.9 4.0 3.8 2.4

 Very important ............................................................................... 0.2 1.1 1.6 1.5

Increasing student access by making courses available at convenient 

locations

 Somewhat important....................................................................... 1.8 2.9 2.9 1.1

 Very important ............................................................................... 0.2 1.4 1.8 2.0

Increasing institution’s access to new audiences

 Somewhat important....................................................................... 0.7 3.2 3.3 1.2

 Very important ............................................................................... 0.8 1.3 1.9 1.3

Improving the quality of course offerings

 Somewhat important....................................................................... 0.8 2.2 2.4 0.3

 Very important ............................................................................... 0.4 1.5 2.6 1.9

Meeting the needs of local employers

 Somewhat important....................................................................... 0.9 2.0 1.9 0.3

 Very important ............................................................................... 0.8 1.7 2.7 2.4

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Postsecondary Education Quick Information System, 

“Survey on Distance Education at Higher Education Institutions, 2000–2001,” 2002.
58

Table 19. Percentage distribution of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting institutions by 

the extent to which various factors are preventing the institution from starting or 

expanding distance education course offerings: 2002

Factor

Not 

at all

Minor 

extent

Moderate 

extent

Major 

extent

Lack of fit with institution’s mission ................................................... 60 14 9 17

Lack of perceived need (e.g., limited student market).......................... 55 21 15 9

Lack of support from institution administrators.................................... 65 19 9 7

Program development costs................................................................. 23 24 27 26

Equipment failures/costs of maintaining equipment............................. 41 28 19 12

Limited technological infrastructure to support distance education....... 40 25 19 15

Concerns about faculty workload........................................................ 30 26 29 15

Lack of faculty interest........................................................................ 37 33 23 8

Lack of faculty rewards or incentives.................................................. 39 30 20 11

Legal concerns (e.g., intellectual property rights, copyright laws) ........ 57 30 10 3

Concerns about course quality............................................................. 35 29 23 14

Lack of access to library or other resources for instructional support.... 58 28 9 5

Interinstitutional issues (e.g., allocations of financial aid, course 

credit).......................................................................................... 57 27 11 4

Restrictive federal, state, or local policies (e.g., limitations on the 

number of distance education credits students may earn, student 

ineligibility for financial aid)........................................................ 65 22 8 6

Inability to obtain state authorization................................................... 86 10 3 1

NOTE: T his question was asked in the present tense rather than referring to 2000–2001, and thus the estimates reflect the responses of the 

institutions at the time the data were collected in spring 2002. Percents are based on the estimated 4,130 2-year and 4-year Title IV-eligible, 

degree-granting institutions in the nation. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Postsecondary Education Quick Information System, 

“Survey on Distance Education at Higher Education Institutions, 2000–2001,” 2002.
59

Table 19a. Standard errors of the percentage distribution of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degreegranting institutions by the extent to which various factors are preventing the 

institution from starting or expanding distance education course offerings: 2002

Factor

Not 

at all

Minor 

extent

Moderate 

extent

Major 

extent

Lack of fit with institution’s mission ................................................... 1.2 1.0 0.9 1.0

Lack of perceived need (e.g., limited student market).......................... 1.0 1.1 1.0 0.8

Lack of support from institution administrators................................... 1.3 0.9 0.8 0.7

Program development costs................................................................. 1.3 1.4 1.0 1.4

Equipment failures/costs of maintaining equipment............................. 1.7 1.3 0.9 0.9

Limited technological infrastructure to support distance education....... 1.1 1.0 0.7 1.1

Concerns about faculty workload........................................................ 0.9 1.0 1.0 0.7

Lack of faculty interest........................................................................ 1.6 1.5 1.1 0.7

Lack of faculty rewards or incentives.................................................. 1.4 1.4 1.1 0.8

Legal concerns (e.g., intellectual property rights, copyright laws)......... 1.4 1.3 0.7 0.6

Concerns about course quality............................................................. 1.3 1.4 0.8 1.1

Lack of access to library or other resources for instructional support.... 2.0 1.4 0.8 0.8

Interinstitutional issues (e.g., allocations of financial aid, course 

credit).......................................................................................... 1.6 1.2 1.1 0.8

Restrictive federal, state, or local policies (e.g., limitations on the 

number of distance education credits students may earn, student 

ineligibility for financial aid)........................................................ 1.4 1.1 0.9 0.7

Inability to obtain state authorization.................................................. 0.8 0.6 0.6 0.4

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Postsecondary Education Quick Information System, 

“Survey on Distance Education at Higher Education Institutions, 2000–2001,” 2002.
60

Table 20. Percentage distribution of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting institutions, by 

the extent to which various factors are preventing the institution from starting or 

expanding distance education course offerings, and by distance education program 

status in 2000–2001: 2002

Factor and distance education program status Not 

at all

Minor 

extent

Moderate 

extent

Major 

extent

Lack of fit with institution’s mission

 Offered in 2000–2001..................................................................... 75 15 7 4

 Planned to offer in next 3 years....................................................... 64 17 13 6

 Did not plan to offer in next 3 years................................................ 31 12 13 44

Lack of perceived need

 Offered in 2000–2001..................................................................... 64 21 11 3

 Planned to offer in next 3 years....................................................... 56 20 19 6

 Did not plan to offer in next 3 years................................................ 40 19 19 22

Lack of support from institution’s administrators

 Offered in 2000–2001..................................................................... 66 21 9 4

 Planned to offer in next 3 years....................................................... 66 17 12 5

 Did not plan to offer in next 3 years................................................ 64 15 8 12

Program development costs

 Offered in 2000–2001..................................................................... 16 30 32 22

 Planned to offer in next 3 years....................................................... 27 21 25 27

 Did not plan to offer in next 3 years................................................ 35 14 19 33

Equipment failures/costs of maintaining equipment

 Offered in 2000–2001..................................................................... 37 34 21 8

 Planned to offer in next 3 years....................................................... 41 30 17 12

 Did not plan to offer in next 3 years................................................ 48 17 15 19

Limited technological infrastructure to support distance education

 Offered in 2000–2001..................................................................... 39 30 21 9

 Planned to offer in next 3 years....................................................... 41 24 17 18

 Did not plan to offer in next 3 years................................................ 42 17 17 24

Concerns about faculty workload

 Offered in 2000–2001..................................................................... 17 31 35 17

 Planned to offer in next 3 years....................................................... 40 20 24 16

 Did not plan to offer in next 3 years................................................ 49 21 19 11

Lack of faculty interest

 Offered in 2000–2001..................................................................... 28 38 28 7

 Planned to offer in next 3 years....................................................... 44 27 24 5

 Did not plan to offer in next 3 years................................................ 50 25 15 11

Lack of faculty rewards or incentives

 Offered in 2000–2001..................................................................... 26 35 26 13

 Planned to offer in next 3 years....................................................... 44 23 22 10

 Did not plan to offer in next 3 years................................................ 60 24 10 6

Legal concerns

 Offered in 2000–2001..................................................................... 50 36 11 3

 Planned to offer in next 3 years....................................................... 62 24 11 2

 Did not plan to offer in next 3 years................................................ 66 20 9 5

See notes at end of table.
61

Table 20. Percentage distribution of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting institutions, by 

the extent to which various factors are preventing the institution from starting or 

expanding distance education course offerings, and by distance education program 

status in 2000–2001: 2002—Continued 

Factor and distance education program status Not 

at all

Minor 

extent

Moderate 

extent

Major 

extent

Concerns about course quality

 Offered in 2000–2001..................................................................... 31 38 24 7

 Planned to offer in next 3 years....................................................... 29 29 28 14

 Did not plan to offer in next 3 years................................................ 43 13 18 26

Lack of access to instructional support

 Offered in 2000–2001..................................................................... 60 31 8 2

 Planned to offer in next 3 years....................................................... 53 28 12 8

 Did not plan to offer in next 3 years................................................ 57 21 12 10

Interinstitutional issues

 Offered in 2000–2001..................................................................... 59 29 10 3

 Planned to offer in next 3 years....................................................... 47 32 16 5

 Did not plan to offer in next 3 years................................................ 59 21 13 8

Restrictive federal, state, or local policies

 Offered in 2000–2001..................................................................... 62 26 8 4

 Planned to offer in next 3 years....................................................... 60 19 12 9

 Did not plan to offer in next 3 years................................................ 71 15 6 8

Inability to obtain state authorization

 Offered in 2000–2001..................................................................... 89 9 2 #

 Planned to offer in next 3 years....................................................... 80 13 2 4

 Did not plan to offer in next 3 years................................................ 83 10 6 1

# Rounds to zero.

NOTE: This question was asked in the present tense rather than referring to 2000–2001, and thus the estimates reflect the responses of the 

institutions at the time the data were collected in spring 2002. Percents are based on the estimated 4,130 2-year and 4-year Title IV-eligible, 

degree-granting institutions in the nation. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Postsecondary Education Quick Information System, 

“Survey on Distance Education at Higher Education Institutions, 2000–2001,” 2002.
62

Table 20a. Standard errors of the percentage distribution of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degreegranting institutions, by the extent to which various factors are preventing the 

institution from starting or expanding distance education course offerings, 

and by distance education program status in 2000–2001: 2002

Factor and distance education program status Not 

at all

Minor 

extent

Moderate 

extent

Major 

extent

Lack of fit with institution’s mission

 Offered in 2000–2001..................................................................... 1.3 1.0 0.7 0.6

 Planned to offer in next 3 years....................................................... 5.0 3.2 2.6 2.0

 Did not plan to offer in next 3 years................................................ 2.4 3.0 2.5 2.6

Lack of perceived need

 Offered in 2000–2001..................................................................... 1.4 1.1 1.1 0.7

 Planned to offer in next 3 years....................................................... 3.6 3.7 3.1 2.0

 Did not plan to offer in next 3 years................................................ 2.8 3.0 2.7 2.5

Lack of support from institution’s administrators

 Offered in 2000–2001..................................................................... 1.8 1.2 1.1 0.4

 Planned to offer in next 3 years....................................................... 3.9 3.6 3.4 2.1

 Did not plan to offer in next 3 years................................................ 2.8 2.5 1.7 1.4

Program development costs

 Offered in 2000–2001..................................................................... 1.7 1.4 1.3 1.1

 Planned to offer in next 3 years....................................................... 4.7 5.3 4.3 3.9

 Did not plan to offer in next 3 years................................................ 3.4 2.3 1.8 3.4

Equipment failures/costs of maintaining equipment

 Offered in 2000–2001..................................................................... 1.5 1.7 1.1 1.0

 Planned to offer in next 3 years....................................................... 4.7 4.4 3.0 2.6

 Did not plan to offer in next 3 years................................................ 4.2 2.4 2.2 2.5

Limited technological infrastructure to support distance education

 Offered in 2000–2001..................................................................... 1.2 1.5 1.1 0.8

 Planned to offer in next 3 years....................................................... 4.4 3.5 3.2 4.1

 Did not plan to offer in next 3 years................................................ 3.9 2.2 3.0 3.8

Concerns about faculty workload

 Offered in 2000–2001..................................................................... 0.9 1.5 1.2 0.9

 Planned to offer in next 3 years....................................................... 5.1 3.4 3.6 3.1

 Did not plan to offer in next 3 years................................................ 3.6 2.5 2.3 1.7

Lack of faculty interest

 Offered in 2000–2001..................................................................... 1.5 1.6 1.5 0.6

 Planned to offer in next 3 years....................................................... 5.9 5.0 3.5 1.7

 Did not plan to offer in next 3 years................................................ 3.5 2.5 2.6 2.1

Lack of faculty rewards or incentives

 Offered in 2000–2001..................................................................... 1.4 1.6 1.2 0.9

 Planned to offer in next 3 years....................................................... 3.4 3.9 3.5 2.6

 Did not plan to offer in next 3 years................................................ 3.7 2.6 1.9 1.4

Legal concerns

 Offered in 2000–2001..................................................................... 1.6 1.4 1.0 0.4

 Planned to offer in next 3 years....................................................... 5.5 3.7 2.5 1.8

 Did not plan to offer in next 3 years................................................ 4.3 3.8 1.4 1.3

See notes at end of table.
63

Table 20a. Standard errors of the percentage distribution of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degreegranting institutions, by the extent to which various factors are preventing the 

institution from starting or expanding distance education course offerings, 

and by distance education program status in 2000–2001: 2002—Continued

Factor and distance education program status Not 

at all

Minor 

extent

Moderate 

extent

Major 

extent

Concerns about course quality

 Offered in 2000–2001..................................................................... 1.2 1.7 1.4 0.8

 Planned to offer in next 3 years....................................................... 5.9 5.0 4.6 4.1

 Did not plan to offer in next 3 years................................................ 4.2 2.0 2.5 2.6

Lack of access to instructional support

 Offered in 2000–2001..................................................................... 1.3 1.3 0.6 0.4

 Planned to offer in next 3 years....................................................... 4.3 3.7 2.8 2.3

 Did not plan to offer in next 3 years................................................ 4.6 3.2 1.6 2.0

Interinstitutional issues

 Offered in 2000–2001..................................................................... 1.4 1.3 0.8 0.5

 Planned to offer in next 3 years....................................................... 4.1 4.4 3.3 2.1

 Did not plan to offer in next 3 years................................................ 3.8 2.5 2.2 2.3

Restrictive federal, state, or local policies

 Offered in 2000–2001..................................................................... 1.3 1.2 0.7 0.8

 Planned to offer in next 3 years....................................................... 4.1 3.9 3.3 2.3

 Did not plan to offer in next 3 years................................................ 3.3 2.1 1.3 1.5

Inability to obtain state authorization

 Offered in 2000–2001..................................................................... 1.0 0.9 0.3 0.1

 Planned to offer in next 3 years....................................................... 4.8 3.2 1.5 2.7

 Did not plan to offer in next 3 years................................................ 2.3 2.3 1.9 0.9

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Postsecondary Education Quick Information System, 

“Survey on Distance Education at Higher Education Institutions, 2000–2001,” 2002.
64
A-1

Appendix A

Methodology
A-2
A-3

Methodology

Postsecondary Education Quick Information System

The Postsecondary Education Quick Information System (PEQIS) was established in 1991 by the 

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), U.S. Department of Education (ED). PEQIS is 

designed to conduct brief surveys of postsecondary institutions or state higher education agencies on 

postsecondary education topics of national importance. Surveys are generally limited to three pages of 

questions, with a response burden of about 30 minutes per respondent. Most PEQIS institutional surveys 

use a previously recruited, nationally representative panel of institutions. The PEQIS panel was originally 

selected and recruited in 1991–92. In 1996, the PEQIS panel was reselected to reflect changes in the 

postsecondary education universe that had occurred since the original panel was selected. A modified 

Keyfitz approach was used to maximize overlap between the panels; this resulted in 80 percent of the 

institutions in the 1996 panel overlapping with the 1991–92 panel. The PEQIS panel was reselected again 

in 2002. A modified Keyfitz approach was used to maximize the overlap between the 1996 and 2002 

samples; 81 percent of the institutions overlapped between these two panels. 

At the time the 1991–92 and 1996 PEQIS panels were selected, NCES was defining higher 

education institutions as institutions accredited at the college level by an agency recognized by the 

Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education. However, ED no longer makes a distinction between 

higher education institutions and other postsecondary institutions that are eligible to participate in federal 

financial aid programs. Thus, NCES no longer categorizes institutions as higher education institutions. 

Instead, NCES now categorizes institutions on the basis of whether the institution is eligible to award 

federal Title IV financial aid, and whether the institution grants degrees at the associate’s level or higher. 

Institutions that are both Title IV-eligible and degree-granting are approximately equivalent to higher 

education institutions as previously defined. It is this subset of postsecondary institutions (Title IVeligible and degree-granting) that are included in the 2002 PEQIS sampling frame.

The sampling frame for the 2002 PEQIS panel was constructed from the 2000 Integrated

Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) Institutional Characteristics file. Institutions eligible for 

the 2002 PEQIS frame included 2-year and 4-year (including graduate-level) institutions that are both 

Title IV-eligible and degree-granting, and are located in the 50 states and the District of Columbia: a total 

of 4,175 institutions. The 2002 PEQIS sampling frame was stratified by instructional level (4-year, 2-

year), control (public, private nonprofit, private for-profit), highest level of offering (doctor’s/firstprofessional, master’s, bachelor’s, less than bachelor’s), and total enrollment. Within each of the strata, 

institutions were sorted by region (Northeast, Southeast, Central, West) and by whether the institution had 

a relatively high minority enrollment. The sample of 1,610 institutions was allocated to the strata in 

proportion to the aggregate square root of total enrollment. Institutions within a stratum were sampled 

with equal probabilities of selection. The modified Keyfitz approach resulted in 81 percent of the 

institutions in the 2002 panel overlapping with the 1996 panel. Panel recruitment was conducted with the 

300 institutions that were not part of the overlap sample. During panel recruitment, 6 institutions were 

found to be ineligible for PEQIS. The final unweighted response rate at the end of PEQIS panel 

recruitment with the institutions that were not part of the overlap sample was 97 percent (285 of the 294 

eligible institutions). There were a total of 1,600 eligible institutions in the entire 2002 panel, because 4 

institutions in the overlap sample were determined to be ineligible for various reasons. The final 

unweighted participation rate across the institutions that were selected for the 2002 panel was 99 percent 

(1,591 participating institutions out of 1,600 eligible institutions). The weighted panel participation rate 

was also 99 percent.
A-4

Each institution in the PEQIS panel was asked to identify a campus representative to serve as 

survey coordinator. The campus representative facilitates data collection by identifying the appropriate 

respondent for each survey and forwarding the questionnaire to that person.

Sample and Response Rates

The sample for the survey consisted of all of the institutions in the 2002 PEQIS panel. The 

weighted number of eligible institutions in the survey represent the estimated universe of approximately 

4,130 Title IV-eligible, degree-granting institutions in the 50 states and the District of Columbia.12 In late 

February 2002, questionnaires (see appendix B) were mailed to the PEQIS coordinators at the institutions. 

Coordinators were told that the survey was designed to be completed by the person at the institution most 

knowledgeable about the institution’s distance education course offerings. Telephone followup of 

nonrespondents was initiated in mid-March 2002; data collection and clarification were completed in June 

2002. During data collection, one institution was determined to be ineligible for this survey. For the 

eligible institutions, an unweighted response rate of 94 percent (1,500 responding institutions divided by 

the 1,599 eligible institutions in the sample for this survey) was obtained. The weighted response rate for 

this survey was also 94 percent. The unweighted overall response rate was 93 percent (99.4 percent panel 

participation rate multiplied by the 93.8 percent survey response rate). The weighted overall response 

rate was also 93 percent (99.3 percent weighted panel participation rate multiplied by the 93.8 percent 

weighted survey response rate). 

Weighted item nonresponse rates ranged from 0 to 1 percent for all items. Imputation for item 

nonresponse was not implemented. Estimated totals using nonimputed data implicitly impute a zero 

value for all missing data. These zero implicit imputations will mean that the estimates of totals will 

underestimate the true population totals. The total number of enrollments in all distance education 

courses was missing for 5 cases in the sample. For college-level, credit-granting courses, the number of 

enrollments in courses at both levels was missing for 5 cases in the sample, and the number of

enrollments in undergraduate and graduate courses was missing for 11 cases in the sample . The total 

number of different distance education courses was missing for 8 cases in the sample. For college-level, 

credit-granting courses, the number of courses at both levels was missing for 7 cases in the sample, the 

number of undergraduate courses was missing for 11 cases in the sample, and the number of graduate 

courses was missing for 10 cases in the sample.

Definitions of Analysis Variables

• Institutional type: public 2-year, private 2-year, public 4-year, private 4-year. Type was 

created from a combination of level (2-year, 4-year) and control (public, private). Two-year 

institutions are defined as institutions at which the highest level of offering is at least 2 but less 

than 4 years (below the baccalaureate degree); 4-year institutions are those at which the highest 

level of offering is 4 or more years (baccalaureate or higher degree).13 Private comprises 

private nonprofit and private for-profit institutions; these private institutions are reported

 

12 The estimated number of institutions in the survey universe decreased from the 4,175 institutions on the PEQIS sampling frame to an estimated 

4,130 institutions because some of the institutions were determined to be ineligible for PEQIS during panel recruitment and survey data 

collection.

13 Definitions for level are from the data file documentation for the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) Institutional 

Characteristics file, U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics.
A-5

together because there are too few private for-profit institutions in the sample for this survey to 

report them as a separate category. 

• Size of institution: less than 3,000 students (small); 3,000 to 9,999 students (medium); and 

10,000 or more students (large).

Sampling and Nonsampling Errors

The response data were weighted to produce national estimates (see table A-1). The weights were 

designed to adjust for the variable probabilities of selection and differential nonresponse. The findings in 

this report are estimates based on the sample selected and, consequently, are subject to sampling 

variability.

Table A-1. Number and percent of 2-year and 4-year Title IV degree-granting institutions in the 

study, and the estimated number and percent in the nation, for the total sample and 

for institutions that offered distance education courses in 2000–2001, by institutional 

type and size: 2002

Total sample Offered distance education in 2000–2001

Institutional type and size Respondents National estimate* Respondents National estimate*

Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent

 All institutions........................................ 1,500 100 4,130 100 1,111 100 2,320 100

Institutional type

 Public 2-year............................................ 505 34 1,070 26 481 43 960 41

 Private 2-year........................................... 98 7 640 16 17 2 100 4

 Public 4-year............................................ 395 26 620 15 363 33 550 24

 Private 4-year........................................... 502 33 1,800 44 250 23 710 31

Size of institution

 Less than 3,000 ........................................ 595 40 2,840 69 281 25 1,160 50

 3,000 to 9,999 .......................................... 505 34 870 21 449 40 770 33

 10,000 or more......................................... 400 27 420 10 381 34 400 17

*Data presented in all tables are weighted to produce national estimates. The sample was selected with probabilities proportionate to the square 

root of total enrollment. Institutions with larger enrollments have higher probabilities of inclusion and lower weights. The weighted numbers of 

institutions have been rounded to the nearest 10. 

NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Postsecondary Education Quick Information System, 

“Survey on Distance Education at Higher Education Institutions, 2000–2001,” 2002.

The survey estimates are also subject to nonsampling errors that can arise because of

nonobservation (nonresponse or noncoverage) errors, errors of reporting, and errors made in data 

collection. These errors can sometimes bias the data. Nonsampling errors may include such problems as 

misrecording of responses; incorrect editing, coding, and data entry; differences related to the particular 

time the survey was conducted; or errors in data preparation. While general sampling theory can be used 

to determine how to estimate the sampling variability of a statistic, nonsampling errors are not easy to 

measure and, for measurement purposes, usually require that an experiment be conducted as part of the 

data collection procedures or that data external to the study be used.
A-6

To minimize the potential for nonsampling errors, the questionnaire was pretested with respondents 

at institutions like those that completed the survey. During the design of the survey and the survey 

pretest, an effort was made to check for consistency of interpretation of questions and to eliminate 

ambiguous items. The questionnaire and instructions were extensively reviewed by NCES. Manual and 

machine editing of the questionnaire responses were conducted to check the data for accuracy and

consistency. Cases with missing or inconsistent items were recontacted by telephone. Data were keyed 

with 100 percent verification.

Variances

The standard error is a measure of the variability of an estimate due to sampling. It indicates the 

variability of a sample estimate that would be obtained from all possible samples of a given design and 

size. Standard errors are used as a measure of the precision expected from a particular sample. If all 

possible samples were surveyed under similar conditions, intervals of 1.96 standard errors below to 1.96 

standard errors above a particular statistic would include the true population parameter being estimated in 

about 95 percent of the samples. This is a 95 percent confidence interval. For example, the estimated 

percentage of institutions reporting that they offered any distance education courses in 2000–2001 is 56.3 

percent, and the estimated standard error is 1.2 percent. The 95 percent confidence interval for the 

statistic extends from [56.3 - (1.2 times 1.96)] to [56.3 + (1.2 times 1.96)], or from 53.9 to 58.7 percent. 

Estimates of standard errors were computed using a technique known as jackknife replication. As 

with any replication method, jackknife replication involves constructing a number of subsamples

(replicates) from the full sample and computing the statistic of interest for each replicate. The mean

square error of the replicate estimates around the full sample estimate provides an estimate of the 

variances of the statistics. To construct the replications, 50 stratified subsamples of the full sample were 

created and then dropped one at a time to define 50 jackknife replicates. A computer program (WesVar) 

was used to calculate the estimates of standard errors. WesVar is a stand-alone Windows application that 

computes sampling errors for a wide variety of statistics (totals, percents, ratios, log-odds ratios, general 

functions of estimates in tables, linear regression parameters, and logistic regression parameters).

The test statistics used in the analysis were calculated using the jackknife variances and thus 

appropriately reflected the complex nature of the sample design. In addition, Bonferroni adjustments 

were made to control for multiple comparisons where appropriate. Bonferroni adjustments correct for the 

fact that a number of comparisons (g) are being made simultaneously. The adjustment is made by 

dividing the 0.05 significance level by g comparisons, effectively increasing the critical value necessary 

for a difference to be statistically different. This means that comparisons that would have been significant 

with an unadjusted critical t value of 1.96 may not be significant with the Bonferroni-adjusted critical t

value. For example, the Bonferroni-adjusted critical t value for comparisons between any two of the three 

categories of institutional size is 2.39, rather than 1.96. This means that there must be a larger difference 

between the estimates being compared for there to be a statistically significant difference when the 

Bonferroni adjustment is applied than when it is not used. 

Background Information

The survey was performed under contract with Westat, using the Postsecondary Education Quick 

Information System (PEQIS). Westat’s Project Director was Elizabeth Farris, and the Survey Managers 

were Laurie Lewis and Tiffany Waits. Bernie Greene was the NCES Project Officer.
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The following individuals reviewed this report:

Outside NCES

• Bruce Chaloux, Southern Regional Education Board

• Stephanie Cronen, American Institutes for Research, Education Statistics Services Institute

• Dan Goldenberg, Policy and Program Studies Service, U.S. Department of Education

• Greg Henschel, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education

• Ann Hiros, Burlington County College

• Sally Johnstone, Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education

• Lawrence Lanahan, American Institutes for Research, Education Statistics Services Institute

• Carolyn S. Lee, Office of Vocational and Adult Education, U.S. Department of Education

• Brian Lekander, Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education, U.S. Department of 

Education

Inside NCES

• Lisa Hudson, Early Childhood, International, and Crosscutting Studies Division

• Tracy Hunt-White, Postsecondary Education Studies Division

• William Hussar, Early Childhood, International, and Crosscutting Studies Division

• Andrew Malizio, Assessment Division

• Val Plisko, Associate Commissioner, Early Childhood, International, and Crosscutting Studies 

Division

• Bruce Taylor, Statistical Standards Program, Office of the Deputy Commissioner

For more information about the Postsecondary Education Quick Information System or the Survey 

on Distance Education at Higher Education Institutions: 2000–2001, contact Bernie Greene, Early 

Childhood, International, and Crosscutting Studies Division, National Center for Education Statistics, 

Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, 1990 K Street, NW, Washington, DC 

20006; e-mail: Bernard.Greene@ed.gov; telephone (202) 502-7348.
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Appendix B

Questionnaire
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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION FORM APPROVED

NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION STATISTICS O.M.B. No.: 1850-0733

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20006-5651 EXPIRATION DATE: 07/2002

DISTANCE EDUCATION AT HIGHER

EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS: 2000–2001

POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION QUICK INFORMATION SYSTEM

This survey is authorized by law (P.L. 103-382). While participation in this survey is voluntary, your cooperation is critical to 

make the results of this survey comprehensive, accurate, and timely.

Definition of distance education for this survey refers to education or training courses delivered to remote (off-campus) 

location(s) via audio, video (live or prerecorded), or computer technologies, including both synchronous and asynchronous 

instruction. For purposes of this survey, courses conducted exclusively on campus are not included in this definition of 

distance education (although some on-campus instruction or testing may be involved); courses conducted exclusively via 

written correspondence are also not included (although some instruction may be conducted via written correspondence). 

Distance education also does not include courses in which the instructor travels to a remote site to deliver instruction in

person. Distance education courses may include a small amount of on-campus course or lab work, on-campus exams, or 

occasional on-campus meetings.

The survey is designed to be completed by the person(s) most knowledgeable about your institution’s distance education 

course offerings. Since we are interested in all such courses offered by your institution, we ask that you consult with your 

colleagues in other departments/offices that may also offer distance education courses.

IF ABOVE INSTITUTION INFORMATION IS INCORRECT, PLEASE UPDATE DIRECTLY ON LABEL.

Name of Person Completing This Form:_____________________________________________________________________

Title/Position: ___________________________________________________________________________________________

Telephone Number: _____________________________________ E-mail:________________________________________

THANK YOU. PLEASE KEEP A COPY OF THIS SURVEY FOR YOUR RECORDS.

PLEASE RETURN COMPLETED FORM TO: IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, CONTACT:

Laurie Lewis (7166.26) Laurie Lewis (800-937-8281, x. 8284 or 301-251-8284) or

Westat Tiffany Waits (800-937-8281, x. 3829 or 301-294-3829)

1650 Research Boulevard Fax: 800-254-0984

Rockville, Maryland 20850-3195 E-mail: laurielewis@westat.com or tiffanywaits@westat.com

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a valid 

OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 1850-0733. The time required to complete this information 

collection is estimated to average 30 minutes per response, including the time to review instructions, search existing data resources, gather the 

data needed, and complete and review the information collection. If you have any comments concerning the accuracy of the time estimate or 

suggestions for improving this form, please write to: U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC 20202-4651. If you have any comments or

concerns regarding the status of your individual submission of this form, write directly to: National Center for Education Statistics, 1990 K Street, 

NW, Washington, DC 20006.

PEQIS Form No. 13, 02/2002

Information Copy - Do Not Complete
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1. Did your institution offer any distance education courses (as defined on the front of this questionnaire) in 2000–2001 

(12-month academic year), or plan to offer any such courses in the next 3 years (2001–2002 through 2003–2004)? 

(Circle only one number.)

Offered courses in 2000–2001............................................................. 1 (Continue with question 2.)

Did not offer in 2000–2001, but planned to offer in the next 3 years ....... 2 (Skip to question 11.)

Did not offer in 2000–2001, and did not plan to offer in the next 3 

years ............................................................................................ 3 (Skip to question 12.)

2. In the grid, please provide information about the distance education courses offered by your institution in 2000–2001 

(12-month academic year). 

• For courses, provide information about the number of different distance education courses offered by your 

institution in 2000–2001. If a course had multiple sections or was offered multiple times during the academic 

year, count it as only one course. If your institution did not offer a particular type or level of distance education 

course in 2000–2001, enter 0.

• Dual-level courses (i.e., courses that can be taken for either undergraduate or graduate credit) should be 

reported as undergraduate courses, and enrollments for these courses should be counted as undergraduate 

enrollments.

• Enrollments may include duplicated counts of students, i.e., a student should be counted for each course in 

which he/she was enrolled.

⇒ In column 1, report the number of distance education courses for all levels and audiences, and the number of 

students enrolled in those courses. Include courses designed for all types of students, including elementary and 

secondary, college, adult education, continuing and professional education, etc.

⇒ In columns 2 through 4, report only college-level, credit-granting distance education courses and their 

enrollments, as follows:

In column 2, report the total (i.e., the sum of undergraduate and graduate/first professional).

In column 3, report for undergraduate-level only.

In column 4, report for graduate/first-professional-level only.

College-level, credit-granting

For 2000–2001 

(12-month academic year)

1.

Total

for all levels and 

audiences

2.

Total for college-level 

credit-granting 

(undergraduate and 

graduate)

3.

Undergraduate

only

4.

Graduate/

first-professional

only

a. Number of courses

b. Number of enrollments

3. In 2000–2001 (12-month academic year), did your institution have any college-level degree or certificate programs 

designed to be completed totally through distance education? (Include only degree or certificate programs that are 

based on credit-granting courses; include programs that may require a small amount of on-campus course or lab 

work, clinical work in hospitals, or similar arrangements, and baccalaureate degree completion programs.)

Yes................. 1 (Continue with question 4.) No .................. 2 (Skip to question 5.)

4. How many different college-level degree or certificate programs designed to be completed totally through distance 

education did your institution offer in 2000–2001 (12-month academic year)? 

Undergraduate Graduate/firstprofessional *Distance education degree and certificate programs

Degree Certificate Degree Certificate

Total number of college-level distance education degree and certificate 

programs based on credit-granting courses

5. Does your institution participate in any distance education consortia?

Yes................. 1 (Continue with question 6.) No .................. 2 (Skip to question 7.)

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6. In what types of consortia does your institution participate? (Circle one on each line.)

Don’t

Yes No know

a. System (e.g., within a single university system or community college district)............. 1 2 3

b. State (i.e., within a single state) ............................................................................... 1 2 3

c. Regional (i.e., multi-state) ....................................................................................... 1 2 3

d. National ................................................................................................................. 1 2 3

e. International ........................................................................................................... 1 2 3

7. How important are the following goals to your institution's distance education program? For each goal that is 

somewhat or very important, indicate to what extent your distance education program is meeting that goal.

Importance Extent goal met

Not Somewhat Very Not at Minor Moderate Major

important important important all extent extent extent

(Circle one on each line.) (Circle one on each line.)

a. Reducing institution's per-student costs .. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4

b. Making educational opportunities more 

affordable for students ........................... 1 2 3 1 2 3 4

c. Increasing institution enrollments............ 1 2 3 1 2 3 4

d. Increasing student access by reducing 

time constraints for course taking ........... 1 2 3 1 2 3 4

e. Increasing student access by making 

courses available at convenient 

locations ............................................... 1 2 3 1 2 3 4

f. Increasing the institution's access to 

new audiences ...................................... 1 2 3 1 2 3 4

g. Improving the quality of course offerings . 1 2 3 1 2 3 4

h. Meeting the needs of local employers ..... 1 2 3 1 2 3 4

i. Other (specify) ______________________ 1 2 3 1 2 3 4

8. How often in the last 3 years has your institution received requests to provide accommodations for students with 

disabilities in your distance education courses? (Circle one.)

Never.......... 1 Occasionally .......... 2 Frequently......... 3 Don’t know........... 4

9. To what extent do the Web sites for the distance education courses offered by your institution follow established 

accessibility guidelines or recommendations for users with disabilities (e.g., guidelines/recommendations from the 

U.S. Department of Education or the World Wide Web Consortium)? (Circle one.) 

If no Web sites are used, check here o and skip to question 10.

Not at all....... 1 Minor extent........ 2 Moderate extent ........ 3 Major extent........ 4 Don’t know ...... 5

10. Which types of technology did your institution use as a primary mode of instructional delivery for distance education 

courses in 2000–2001 (12-month academic year)? Circle yes for all the technologies that any distance education 

course used as a primary mode of delivery. If a course used multiple technologies to deliver instruction, but one 

mode predominated, circle yes for the predominant mode for the course. (Circle one on each line.)

Yes No

a. Two-way video with two-way audio (i.e., two-way interactive video) ....................................................... 1 2

b. One-way video with two-way audio ...................................................................................................... 1 2

c. One-way live video ............................................................................................................................. 1 2

d. One-way prerecorded video (including prerecorded videotapes provided to students, and television

broadcast and cable transmission using prerecorded video).................................................................. 1 2

e. Two-way audio transmission (e.g., audio/phone conferencing) .............................................................. 1 2

f. One-way audio transmission (including radio broadcast and prerecorded audiotapes provided to 

students)............................................................................................................................................ 1 2

g. Internet courses using synchronous (i.e., simultaneous or “real time”) computer-based instruction 

(e.g., interactive computer conferencing or Interactive Relay Chat)........................................................ 1 2

h. Internet courses using asynchronous (i.e., not simultaneous) computer-based instruction 

(e.g., e-mail, listservs, and most World Wide Web-based courses) ........................................................ 1 2

i. CD-ROM............................................................................................................................................ 1 2

j. Multi-mode packages (i.e., a mix of technologies that cannot be assigned to a primary mode)

(specify technologies used) ________________________________________________________________ 1 2

k. Other technologies (specify) _______________________________________________________________ 1 2

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11. In the next 3 years, what are your institution’s plans concerning the number of distance education courses that will be 

offered using the following technologies as the primary mode of instructional delivery? If a course will use multiple 

technologies to deliver instruction, but one mode will predominate, consider the course under the predominant mode. 

(Circle one on each line.) 

Keep same Start or No

Reduce number increase plans

a. Two-way video with two-way audio (i.e., two-way interactive video) . 1 2 3 4

b. One-way video with two-way audio ................................................ 1 2 3 4

c. One-way live video ....................................................................... 1 2 3 4

d. One-way prerecorded video (including prerecorded videotapes 

provided to students, and television broadcast and cable 

transmission using prerecorded video)........................................... 1 2 3 4

e. Two-way audio transmission (e.g., audio/phone conferencing) ........ 1 2 3 4

f. One-way audio transmission (including radio broadcast and 

prerecorded audiotapes provided to students)................................ 1 2 3 4

g. Internet courses using synchronous (i.e., simultaneous or “real 

time”) computer-based instruction (e.g., interactive computer 

conferencing or Interactive Relay Chat).......................................... 1 2 3 4

h. Internet courses using asynchronous (i.e., not simultaneous) 

computer-based instruction (e.g., e-mail, listservs, and most 

World Wide Web-based courses) .................................................. 1 2 3 4

i. CD-ROM...................................................................................... 1 2 3 4

j. Multi-mode packages (i.e., a mix of technologies that cannot be 

assigned to a primary mode)

(specify technologies to be used) ____________________________ 1 2 3 4

k. Other technologies (specify) ________________________________ 1 2 3 4

12. To what extent, if any, are the following factors keeping your institution from starting or expanding distance education 

offerings? (Circle one on each line.)

Not Minor Moderate Major

at all extent extent extent

a. Lack of fit with institution’s mission......................................................... 1 2 3 4

b. Lack of perceived need (e.g., limited student market).............................. 1 2 3 4

c. Lack of support from institution administrators ........................................ 1 2 3 4

d. Program development costs.................................................................. 1 2 3 4

e. Equipment failures/costs of maintaining equipment ................................. 1 2 3 4

f. Limited technological infrastructure to support distance education ........... 1 2 3 4

g. Concerns about faculty workload........................................................... 1 2 3 4

h. Lack of faculty interest .......................................................................... 1 2 3 4

i. Lack of faculty rewards or incentives ...................................................... 1 2 3 4

j. Legal concerns (e.g., intellectual property rights, copyright laws)............. 1 2 3 4

k. Concerns about course quality .............................................................. 1 2 3 4

l. Lack of access to library or other resources for instructional support ........ 1 2 3 4

m.Interinstitutional issues (e.g., allocations of financial aid, course credit) ... 1 2 3 4

n. Restrictive federal, state, or local policies (e.g., limitations on the 

number of distance education credits students may earn, student 

ineligibility for financial aid).................................................................... 1 2 3 4

o. Inability to obtain state authorization ...................................................... 1 2 3 4

p. Other (specify) _________________________________________________ 1 2 3 4

13. Is your institution offering any distance education courses this academic year (2001–2002)? 

Yes .............. 1 No............... 2

14. For institutions that did not offer any distance education courses in 2000–2001: Did your institution offer any 

distance education courses in the previous 5 years (1995–2000)?

Yes .............. 1 (Date last offered _____________ ) No ............... 2 Don’t know............... 3

Thank you. Please keep a copy for your records.

Information Copy - Do Not Complete