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INTRODUCTION
Learning is part of human nature, but formal learning is not always intuitive and needs guidance. This is especially true for learning at a distance. As the need for education increases, distance education is becoming a way to meet the growing demand (Hachey, Conway, & Wladis, 2013). Currently, 83.6% of colleges with 1,000-4,999 students offer distance/ online courses (Allen & Seaman, 2015). One definition of distance education is "institution-based, formal education where the learning group is separated, and where interactive telecommunications systems are used to connect learners, resources, and instructors" (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012, p. 32). Teaching online is not as simple as posting a syllabus and videotaped lectures on a website; there should be intentional instructional design to transition a course from face to face to distance (Ko & Rossen, 2010). The basic day-to-day activities such as interactions between instructors and students or students and students; course handouts and syllabi; assignment submissions and assessments; and how to ask questions are different than in the traditional face-toface classroom. For these reasons, instructors are expected to have pedagogical training as well as technical training to teach online courses at a distance (Ekstrand, 2012). Students must be shown how to navigate this kind of classroom too. Students need to be guided in order to know what is expected and those expectations need to be clearly articulated in more than one location (Simonson et al., 2012). Student support services and administrators must address the distance student's specific needs by orienting students to this different type of classroom and format of learning. This should address everything from technical issues and the technical requirements of online learning, to course expectations, etiquette, and course procedures (Ko & Rossen, 2010).
ONLINE EDUCATION
Reports from higher education institutions claim there is an increased demand for online courses over face-to-face courses (Allen & Seaman, 2010). Even though there is still resistance from faculty (who question the validity of online learning), more than 70.8% of chief academic leaders say that online learning must be part of their strategic planning (Allen & Seaman, 2015). Although distance education and online courses can be seen as a delivery method offering greater availability of education, there is a price associated with this increased access. Distance...