Perhaps the following list can provide suggestions for implementing successful online programs within an academic institution, while lessening the fears (or the downright animosity) among faculty and administrators. The following five suggestions may pave the way for better relationships among all faculty and administrators and help those who plan future online curricula:

1. Recognize that the ways courses or programs may be created can differ, but the resulting “product” should be equally high quality.

All educational offerings should be high quality, whether they were designed to be used in an on-site classroom or on a Web site. Educators (primarily teachers) should be actively involved in the creation of course materials, and these materials should be evaluated frequently to ensure their continued accuracy and importance to a study of the subject matter. Online classes in reality may be more difficult for learners to complete, not because of the course content or the technology used in the flow of information among teachers and learners, but because online education requires students to take more responsibility for learning the information and completing course activities. The concept that online classes are “easy A’s” should not be true or promulgated, by administrators, faculty, or learners.

The process of writing online, as one example, has been changed by the introduction of computerized forms of communication. Computerized processes and products are being researched to see how they differ from non-computerized communication, and how that affects the implications for teaching. The Internet has added another dimension for research, as collaborative and individual communication processes and products have changed even from those completed with a stand-alone computer. Because of the Internet element of communication, further changes to teaching are being debated. The entire nature of communication, and therefore the disciplines relating to communication, must be rethought.

The way a discipline is perceived, and the way that its practitioners define themselves and their work, have a direct bearing on whether that discipline considers online course or curriculum development as suitable. The content needed for adequate understanding of an entire discipline must be able to be delivered well online, using a variety of media. Activities that help learners practice skills, discover and test ideas, and synthesize knowledge must be completed electronically. If a curriculum is to be fully realized online, every course, every link in the knowledge-development and -acquisition process must be delivered online in such a way that learners who may never see teachers or touch lab materials can become an expert within that discipline. No wonder so many academics argue against online education. Distilling a discipline into electronic units that may be explored without the watchful guidance of teachers in labs and classrooms, workshops and libraries seems difficult. However, in practice, academic degree programs have been successfully delivered online, and the paradigm within a discipline expanded to include the presence of electronic information and the ways it has an impact on that discipline. Not every discipline may be well defined through an online curriculum, and although some topics may be well suited for an online course or two, an entire curriculum might not be a good match to be transferred to online instruction. The successful implementation of an online curriculum relies on that discipline’s experts (including but not limited to educators) determining that the body of knowledge and skills that make up a particular discipline are a good match for the current state of online education. Conversely, those who study and participate in a discipline must analyze how electronic communication and information may create changes within that discipline, and how that in turn will affect teaching practices.

2. Value on-site and online faculty equally.

Faculty, whether they teach primarily online or on site or they work both online and on site, should be valued equally. Electronic work should be evaluated and regarded as highly as on-site work, and the faculty who teach online classes should be able to achieve the same respect and recognition for their online work as faculty members do for their on-site work. For example, faculty members who develop educational software, create online materials or courses, assist in the development of an online curriculum, and participate in online professional development activities (e.g., workshops, conferences) should receive full credit for this time-intensive work. Electronic examples of scholarly activities and professional development should be encouraged in tenure packets and materials submitted for evaluation for promotion. CDs, zip and floppy disks, Web sites, and online demonstrations of educational materials should be considered equally effective measures of professional involvement as the more traditionally evaluated print books, conference papers, research proposals, and other paper documents.

All faculty members should have access to resources provided by the institution. Online faculty should be able to use research facilities and receive benefits such as funding of professional development activities. The quality of the faculty member’s contribution, and the opportunities to make further contributions, should not be determined by how much or little that person works online.

All faculty should be allowed to participate in the institution’s activities and policy-making bodies. Because many online faculty members live far from the university’s or college’s physical campus, they usually cannot attend meetings held on that campus. Allowing online faculty to participate in meetings through conference calls or videoconferences is important to make online faculty be perceived as part of the “real” faculty. All faculty should be alerted to possible changes in the institution’s policies and invited to share their ideas. For online faculty, this might mean participation in online bulletin boards or e-mail discussions, and administrators consider ideas discussed or submitted in person, on paper, or by computer. The venue of participation should not matter as much as the opportunity to participate, and the merit of the discussion based on the quality of the ideas, not on the forum through which they were submitted.

All teachers/facilitators who work at an institution should be valued equally and considered appropriately for compensation, course loads and work schedules, access to resources, professional development activities, and tenure and promotion. These issues often divide faculty members, and administrators must be sensitive to the concerns of all faculty members, whether part-time or full-time faculty, tenured or non-tenured, online or on site.

3. Avoid playing off on-site classes against online classes.

Because online programs are newer, even within institutions with a successful distance learning program using other technologies (e.g., video “correspondence” courses, television broadcast classes), they may be perceived in very different ways. At one extreme, they may be seen as a necessary economic evil to compete with other universities or colleges now offering online programs. At the other extreme, they may be considered a savior of a traditionally campus-based institution, propelling the university or college into the Internet Age. However, one educational format should not be favored over another to the latter’s detriment. Both on-site and online programs need administrative support to allocate the appropriate, necessary resources for success.

Online classes should not be discounted, either philosophically or financially. Online courses and on-site courses should not have to compete for the same group of learners. The cost of classes, as well as the frequency they are offered, the quality of the course, and the amount of credit offered, should be established so that the same course is consistent, whether offered online or on site.

Fee structures, for example, should be comparable for on-site and online classes. If learners discover that they can receive credit for the same course but pay a different fee structure for an online course, the value of the online course is perceived as different from its on-site version. For example, if learners need to take Composition 101 as part of their general education requirements and have the option of taking the class online or on site, the fee structure may be a determining factor in which format is selected. If the online class costs less, learners probably will take the class, regardless of their suitability to take online courses. The online class is thus perceived as “cheaper” than the on-site version, when in reality the quality of the course is equal to that of the on-site course.

Scheduling classes so that they compete with each other is another problem with perception. Many online courses are offered in several configurations: a six-week, 10-week, or 12-week online version of a course that regularly runs 15 or 16 weeks on campus. The shorter online version may be perceived as easier or less rigorous, simply because the time frame for completing the course is compressed. Again, the online course may simply require learners to do more in a shorter period of time, but the perception is that the course is simpler.

Therefore, information about degree programs should clearly state if learners can take both online and on-site courses toward their degree, or if they must take only on-site courses or only online courses. If both types are allowed within a degree program, any limitations to the number of hours of online or on-site courses must be clearly noted. If the online courses truly are interchangeable with the on-site courses, then administrators may want to consider how they should market their programs to different target groups, once again, so that on-site and online courses do not compete for the same niche market.

Online courses usually are offered on demand or more frequently than onsite courses. The sheer number of online sections may make the courses seem like assembly-line education. The institution needs to ensure that the way online courses are promoted leaves no doubt among potential learners or teachers that online courses are not simply educational fast food but are an integral part of a well-designed curriculum.

Technology needs to be equally dispersed throughout the institution. Online classes require technological improvements on a regular basis, as well as effective technical support. However, on-site classes should not be ignored in favor of technical support only for online classes. On-site labs, Web-enhanced courses taught on campus, and computer resources in faculty offices, for example, are equally important. The institution should not pit “haves” against “have nots” by treating online courses and on-site courses differently. Administrators need to ensure that faculty and learners have the level of technology needed for a high-quality education, no matter where the learning takes place.

Online and on-site classes should follow the same rules within an institution, too. The academic standards for course design and the required credentials for teachers should be similar, allowing for any practical differences (e.g., on-site teachers should live within the geographic region where they teach, online teachers should be able to work easily with the course site and any related hardware or software). Performance standards for learners and any entry-level requirements or prerequisites also should be similar. One type of program should not be considered better, easier, or of a different quality.

Teachers and administrators need to work closely together to ensure that the perceptions of online courses are accurate for teachers and learners, and that fee structures, course schedules, use of technology, and catalog descriptions of individual courses reflect the high quality of online courses. On-site courses should not have to compete for learners (and the courses’ survival) against the same courses taught online, and vice versa. There should be a niche for both types of courses within a well-designed curriculum or curricula.

4. Create equally credible online and on-site courses and degree programs.

The institution should develop a good reputation for the quality of its individual courses and degree programs. The structure of all curricula should be pedagogically sound and technically usable and innovative. Teachers should be well trained and prepared to work closely with learners. Administrators should work with faculty and learners to plan curriculum changes and develop an effective strategy for maintaining high-quality programs. All these statements should be givens, whether the courses and programs are delivered on campus or via the Internet.

5. Set up a dialogue between on-site and online faculty—if they are different groups of faculty.

Faculty who teach online and those who teach on site may involve very different groups who have different perceptions about online education. To help faculty across the institution work well together, administrators must create ways for faculty to discuss their differences, explore positive ways of working together, and use newer technologies to enhance all courses. Faculty who live and work far from the physical campus must be brought into the campus community. If the first few principles, especially the second, are followed, this final principle may already be taken care of. However, discussions to plan online curricula may require bringing specific faculty members together to collaborate on potential new courses or programs and to address concerns of all faculty members.

Although setting up a dialogue among all faculty certainly will not solve all problems or eliminate biases for or against online education, the process may successfully bring together faculty, instead of separating them. Making on-site and online faculty aware of what others do, and showing faculty with less technical expertise how they might use the Internet, for example, to enhance their courses, can be a positive step forward.

Administrators must take care not to isolate faculty. They should find ways for them to work together or communicate and create a “family” of all people teaching together. To help establish this sense of belonging to a unified faculty, administrators must be sure that online faculty receive notices, get invited to the same events, participate in discussions, et cetera.

Success in each of these five areas involves dealing with faculty issues and course issues. Managing an online curriculum involves not only developing and maintaining courses and programs, but working closely with the teachers and learners involved in those courses and programs. Listening to faculty concerns and planning ways to move the institution forward as educational issues change are crucial parts of managing a successful online program. As the educational workplace changes, so must policies and practices involving faculty.