Coincidentally, I also had just finished my first experience teaching an undergraduate class through distance education. The following fall semester, I was situated in my new faculty position at Southwest Texas State University, responsible for the development and dissemination of a graduate degree program in geographic education that centered on the use of a variety of distance learning technologies. According to Moore, there are four important considerations to keep in mind when creating and maintaining high quality distance learning courses and programs. Nowhere in this journal, however, or elsewhere on the web or in the literature focusing on the evaluation of distance-based classes, has substantive evidence been provided that establishes the usefulness, or even the credibility, of Moore's list of ideas. Despite this very real lack of evidence on affective learning, and qualitative data evaluating changes in student perception and personal experiences, one thing is certain.
Distance learning is here to stay.
Currently we are testing our materials and methodologies with the help of teacher collaborators in the Rio Grande Valley, located in a remote and underserved region in south Texas, more than seven hours away from the nearest graduate program in geography. With the help of this core group of teachers and others registering for our classes from many places in the state and nation, we are gathering both quantitative and qualitative assessment data that will provide a deeper understanding of the teaching and learning process. Our campus has not been alone in searching for new ways to extend support to classroom teachers using distance learning technologies. References Cited Hardwick, Susan W. 1999. The International Journal for Open and Distance Learning.