And administration, responding to a cultural transformation toward the expansion of more and better DE, is developng a new infrastructure to support teaching and learning. ASU administration, knowing that ASU faculty are as good or better in their content, pedagogy and desire to teach as anyone in the UNC system, has realized the need to assist faculty in matching skills with the moving window of technology. But is is not a blind attempt to be technology savvy. A lot of intelligence has been and will continue to be applied to ascertain which transitions make sense in the shift from 50 years of delivering DE starting with two-lane roads to the use of the internet. It is important to understand the national trends in the area of DE and realize the shift from regional competition with sister institutions towards a national and even international competition for the delivery of curriculum.
New technologies offer challenges at the same time that geographical boundaries fade.
Competition intensifies and prices drop as corporations and adults demand increased services. Administration is power shifting from institutions to students as they focus on adult students as customers. But Appalachian realizes a responsibility to support the region first, and has developed a means to provide ASU degrees to students in the ten surrounding Community Colleges. The Appalachian Learning Alliance is the result of deliberate and strategic planning, as the infrastructure develops to carry ASU into the new millennium. Essential to successful planning for quality assurance standards is close attention and flexible but proactive team-based course development, upgraded student services and enhanced computer information services.