Cindra Phillips, Clark State Community College’s manager of the Center for Teaching and Learning, assisted Dr. Mickey Slimp, Instructional Technology Council (ITC) leader, in publishing a national white paper focusing on distance education. Phillips is a member of the New Initiatives Group of the ITC, an affiliated council of the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC).

Distance education occurs when students engage in the learning process at a location separate from their instructor and fellow students. Community colleges continue to grow enrollment in distance through the convenience of online courses and course materials.

The 13-page report, Trends in Distance Education – What College Leaders Should Consider, was delivered to the AACC on academic, student and community development. It focuses on six key questions college leaders can ask to develop an institutional approach to distance education, along with resources for strategic planning and practice.

“The final paper was delivered to the AACC Commission for its fall meeting. It has already been used as the basis of presentations to the Community College Humanities Association and the North Texas Consortium of Community Colleges,” said Phillips. “It is now scheduled for discussions at ITC’s eLearning Conference in Las Vegas and the AACC’s annual conference in San Antonio during the spring.”

The paper was published as an “open source” document and is available on the ITC website www.itcnetwork.org.