In Looking at Distance Education as a Process: Activity-Based Opportunities for Efficiency Gains and Cost Savings

摘要

Distance education has been around for nearly 100 years. The manner in which we prepare our material and the manner in which we deliver our material are but two of the many process steps in the distance education process as a whole. In looking at distance education as a process, it is apparent there exists multiple seemingly related activities, where each of these many activities has one or more attendant outputs (products). In recognizing distance education as a process, we can readily evaluate each activity and set of products for efficiency and subsequent cost reduction. This ability to dissect distance education into these many process activities is critical to creating a cost effective and competitive solution for any distance education organization; especially if that organization is an independent profit/loss center within higher education.