Designing the perfect online program

Most seem to be gradually making the transition from traditional offerings to distance education by first trying parts of classes, then individual courses, next blended courses, and finally entire distance-delivered programs. The ingredients of a successful, distance delivered academic program include: * committed and strong organizational leader; * assessment and statement of need; * technology plan with a detailed program for implementation of distance education; * steering committee led by faculty that includes stakeholders such as students, staff, administrators, and alumni; * detailed timeline; * formative and summative evaluation plan; * course design model, such as the unitmodule-topic approach; * full-time faculty person to implement the plan; * instructional designer with media production skills; * provision for a help desk for students and faculty; * distance education policy manual for use by students, faculty, and most important, support staff; * course management system and media production facilities and equipment; * templates for syllabi and course components; * budget.