Collaboration between and among public and private colleges and universities in the offering of distance education programs is essential if students are to receive comprehensive, affordable instruction. Wherever possible, institutions should work to deliver programs via consortial arrangements as a means of holding down costs and providing the widest scope of faculty expertise. At the very least, individual colleges and universities should value cooperation with their sister schools around the state and the region as a means for providing the best possible programming for South Carolina students. Underserved geographical and programmatic areas should receive first priority from colleges and universities in determining which programs to offer at which locations. In this fashion, public higher education can make sure that it reaches first those students with the most critical program needs.
Some academic programs are better suited to distance education delivery than others.
Colleges and universities should take care to ensure that they offer programs via distance education that can provide high quality, comprehensive learning experiences relative to the demands of the disciplines involved. Market demand , as reflected by valid, reliable sources, will serve as the primary determinant for the development of distance education programming. In order for this to hold true, colleges and universities must offer those programs that meet student demand in a fashion that best uses the positive attributes of distance technology. Compatibility of technology is essential to enhance collaboration and cooperation between and among institutions and to enable delivery of instruction in the most effective formats. Such compatibility is critical to students' ability to access distance education programming from a variety of sources.