Meanwhile, we need to institutionalize and reward Web-based academic functions. Much of the work that is necessary for the success of a distance education program is not valued at all by the administration today. It's work that you are supposed to just fit in somehow. What you do to make your course easily accessible over the Web, the time you put in for online interaction with students, the research to track down and make accessible useful online resources, that's just taken for granted. Print publication counts toward tenure.
Online activities count for zilch.
The people who perform important functions should be given important titles, and be paid commensurate with the value of what they do, and have their workloads adjusted so they can give these activities the right kind of attention. Their guides organize resources relating to a particular subject, answer questions, and in the process build personal reputation. Imagine formalizing such a role within a department. The online guide for molecular biophysics at your school might help your school develop an international reputation in that field by serving as a guide not just for your school, but also for students and faculty elsewhere. The writer gets paid.