Book Review: Distance Learning in Higher Education: A Programmatic Approach to Planning, Design, Instruction, Evaluation, and Accreditation , by Alfred P. Rovai, Michael K. Ponton, and Jason D. Baker

The three professors from Regent University who authored Distance Learning in Higher Education: A Programmatic Approach to Planning, Design, Instruction, Evaluation, and Accreditation have prepared, in this reviewer's opinion, the first comprehensive, quality, introductory text on distance education in the field. Often while reading this book I thought, “I wish I had written this book”—it really says what it should say with no glaring omissions, does it in a simple and straightforward manner, and finally places under one cover the most relevant elements of the emerging distance education model of the twenty-first century. The book also presents advantages and disadvantages for distance educators to consider among possible options and between best approaches.Many of the concepts covered in the text (e.g., adult learning, strategic planning, design, assessment, evaluation, and accreditation) are generalizable to other educational emphases, including, but not limited to, online education, e-learning, continuing education, distributed education, adult education, and blended learning. The publisher could easily repurpose this book to any of these emphases simply by substituting distance learning in the title with one of the other emphases, and by having authors make only minor textual changes. While the content is somewhat generic and introductory, the book's strength is in its comprehensive coverage of foundational topics and in the interrelatedness of those topics.Even though the book itself includes many references about technology, and much of the discussion revolved around uses of technology in a subject-related context, its focus is not on technology. I assume the authors were strategic in their decision not to include technology in the book's title, but make no mistake—a technology theme threads itself throughout the entire book. It may be that these words found in the “program and course design” chapter represent the authors’ perspective on the subject: “one can argue that technology itself is neutral and that the real issue is how people use the technology” (p. 75).The book is generally well written with a good mix of findings from the literature and practical suggestions from the field. I was pleased to see the three authors acknowledge from time to time that while the literature suggests one thing, experience and intuition should temper theoretical and inconclusive findings. For example, in the “program evaluation” chapter, the authors address the theoretical elements of a good evaluation but then acknowledge that “evaluators must not equate evidence with truth. Rational decision making is based on both evidence and professional judgment. The danger is that evaluators and administrators may make decisions based solely on measurements because of the appearance of truth” (p. 120).It is evident from the manner in which content is introduced and information discussed that the authors are also trained in instructional science and design. The authors skillfully frame each chapter using advance organizers and intersperse meaningful tables and figures at appropriate times to simplify and clarify denser text and difficult discussions. The book itself is a notable example of how to prepare instructional materials and write a reader- and instruction-friendly book.A total of 10 figures and 10 tables are distributed across 11 chapters and approximately 160 pages of text, not including the three appendices. A reader with limited time or significant background in distance learning could easily skip from table to figure and then yet another figure to table without reading intervening text to capture writer essence. And speaking of appendices, the first two are fitting examples of difficult-to-do and critical-to-explain strategic plans and assessment rubrics that also include substantive and relevant information meaningful to the distance educator independent of the examples themselves. The last appendix alone is worth the cost of the book in compiling the elements (and evidences) of quality distance learning programs from a number of disparate but credible sources. I counted 71 performance indicators that the authors culled from credible and respected sources (e.g., Council of Higher Education Accreditation, United States Department of Education, Institutional Higher Education Program—IHEP) and categorized across seven areas: institutional mission, institutional organization structure, institutional resources, curriculum and instruction, faculty support, student support, and student learning outcomes. Any program—new and old—that incorporates most of these elements into its operation will likely become successful.While not considered appendices, the glossary and bibliography should not be overlooked. Anyone who has written a glossary of terms knows how daunting the task is. These authors are to be applauded for their comprehensive glossary of 87 terms—some of which have not been previously defined in a distance learning context before—which help better define a fledgling field of study and inform academic (and practitioner) discussion. Some of the terms in the glossary include andragogy (not found in most dictionaries and highlighted in my word processor's grammar-check program as misspelled), CIPP model, groupware, instructor immediacy, podcasting, presence, social equity, virtual world, and Wiki.And then there are the 17 pages of references. While most people do not generally read references independent of context, this reviewer couldn't resist—he looked for oversights and omissions but they weren't to be found. The authors are thorough and demonstrate a remarkable familiarity with and understanding of the field, its literature, and those thought leaders who comprise the who's who in distance learning scholarship. The bibliography does qualify this book for being more than just an introductory primer to the field—it also makes it a portal to additional scholarly material for any inquiring student, researcher, scholar, and practitioner interested in delving deeper into certain subject matter. The authors certainly meet their stated objective: “the purpose of this book is to focus on the middle space … by balancing theory and research with practical advice” (p. x).This book can easily be read from start to finish or end to beginning; it can also be read nonlinearly—skipping from one chapter to any other. I read the first chapter but then skipped ahead to the assessment, evaluation, and accreditation chapters—all topics of particular interest to me. It was these chapters that I read most critically, and I found myself surprised at the quality, appropriateness, currency, and depth of content—especially with the inclusion of significant references. (I did discover an error with the name and Web address for the accreditation commission in the northwest.) I really didn't expect the authors to exceed expectations for these chapters, but they did—hence my frequent wish while reading the book that I had actually helped author the text. I was particularly impressed by the pragmatic approach used in the evaluation chapter when the authors acknowledge the importance of timing in performing an evaluation. They note that “there is a need to determine whether a program can be evaluated for results prior to initiating a formal evaluation . . . to determine its readiness” (p. 110) and then take the next six pages to discuss a six-step model that can be used by stakeholders to help determine whether an evaluation should even be conducted. Too frequently a program is “inflexible to program modification for unstated political or ideological reasons” (p. 110), making the evaluative results meaningless. I was also pleased with the insightful update on the accreditation discussion that has enveloped higher education in recent years and what out-comes-based assessment means to distance education.One oddity in the text and in the arrangement of chapters, at least for me—and another reason for skipping ahead to other chapters—was the inclusion of gender and culture chapters immediately after the introductory chapter. I'm still not sure why the authors chose to place these two chapters so early in the text and give these topics as much attention as they did, while giving so little (one page) attention to the critical issue of accessibility to and accommodation of the disabled. The authors summarily seem to dismiss the latter and left it represented with: “Distance education program developers should design courses and support systems with ADA compliance in mind” (p. 77); there is no further information, references, or discussion found on the topic as was so characteristic of the rest of the subject material. I would really like to read more about the importance of accommodating those with disabilities from the theoretical, ethical, and practical perspectives found in the other chapters, including the gender and multicultural chapters. Furthermore, the authors, in fairness to the extant research, cite contradicting or inconclusive studies about the role of gender in aspects of online and distance learning, which left me informed but also somewhat frustrated. They quoted one research team's conclusion “that gender was not a significant influence on students’ acceptance of the use of online communication in instruction” (p. 24) and in the multicultural chapter acknowledged that there has been little talk about “the need for indicators of equitable educational outcomes for racial and ethnic minorities” in higher education as in K-12 with the No Child Left Behind legislation.While I did detect some unevenness in the conclusion sections of each chapter—some much longer than others and some introducing material not included earlier in their respective chapters—I can't say enough good about the final chapter, “Summary and Conclusion.” I am reluctant to say too much about this chapter since some who read this review and then secure a copy of the text may just read the final chapter and ignore the rest when I report that this summary chapter is, by far, the best of them all and worth the purchase of the book alone. It not only summarizes the rest of the chapters but also introduces thoughtful perspectives, cogent discussion, and philosophical musings that promise to engage any reader interested in the future of distance learning. Some of what the authors have written in the last chapter is engaging and provocative. For example, they posit that “there is a real danger that dedication to ideas and ideals and the less tangible institutional outputs that benefit society at large, such as service to the community, pursuit of truth, and the discovery of knowledge for its own sake, will fade as the emphasis shifts to produce educational commodities that can be sold for profit” (p. 160). It is evident that the authors know the field well, think about it deeply, and care about it greatly.The reputation of the century-old Teachers College Press is further enhanced by this quality publication. I would make this book required reading for the newly hired distance educator, the traditional educator interested in understanding the basics of distance education, and the university administrator assigned supervisory responsibilities for distance education activities at their institution. I hope to read more from these authors.