An ethnographic, multiple case study research design was used to examine factors that support a successful high school distance education pr
An ethnographic, multiple case study research design was used to examine factors that support a successful high school distance education program. Three classrooms from different high schools, each taking the same nationally-offered distance education physics course during the 1994-95 school year, participated. The course was delivered live, via satellite; telephones and a computer keypad system connected students with the remote teacher. The school calendar affected how frequently students missed regularly scheduled distance education classes, which in turn, affected facilitator roles in terms of planning for students to make up missed coursework. Facilitators' primary focus was on classroom management and climate, although they also engaged in planning and instructional tasks. Student aptitudes and other academic skills and experiences affected both students and facilitators. Facilitator background was a contributing factor to facilitator roles. The study supports the notion that the same factors that affect student learning in a traditional classroom also affect learning in a distance education class. It suggests that responsibility for the quality and outcome of high school distance education courses is shared among all components of the distance education system. In addition to course design and school factors, facilitator roles and performance requirements will be defined by the needs of the students. (AEF)
