Distance Education in Rural Community Colleges

In the mid-1990s, distance education seemed to hold the future for rural community colleges. As distance education has moved to Internet-based technologies, concern has been raised about the digital divide and its impact on distance education. This article describes the status of technology-based distance education offered by rural community colleges in 9 states, and it identifies the distance education technology issues facing these institutions. Implications for national associations and organizations, universities, state and federal policymakers, and the community colleges are discussed.