Distance education: on the use of videoconferencing at the University of Pittsburgh

Many institutions of higher learning are turning to distance education to help address the challenge of providing expanded educational opportunities without the usual increases in budgets. Economic and political pressures and increased demand for services will fuel this movement, as students´ demand for access to educational programs “anytime and anyplace” escalates. Furthermore, competition from nontraditional providers will push distance education initiatives in previously traditional schools. Issues related to this movement are far reaching and impact the entire educational institution including faculty, students, and support services. This paper discusses the movement from a traditional to a distance education model. Specifically, it explains how videoconferencing is being used as a form of distance education at the University of Pittsburgh. Finally, it describes a videoconferencing training program that has been developed and implemented at the University to help ensure that faculty and students are successful in this undertaking