Chapter 7: Management Strategies Guidelines’ Lesson

This chapter of the Guidelines’ “Lessons” provides an expansion of the content dealing with management strategies to support distance learning efforts. The topics that are addressed cover the following: a policy framework, administrative structure, and appropriate procedures and interventions; the technical support environment; quality assurance; library and information systems and services; content management; and student support services. These topics were the guidelines by Kazlauskas (2005) in What Works in Distance Learning: Guidelines (O’Neil, 2005).

This chapter includes an expansion of the original Guidelines 1–6. The last three Guidelines (7–9) are not included in this chapter. Guideline 8 (Learner Characteristics) and Guideline 9 (Instructional Design) overlap with guidelines provided in other chapters. In regard to Guideline 7 (Instructor Competency), there appears to be a general gap in the guidelines regarding the topic of instructors and teaching. Given the nature of management strategies for distance learning, the format of this Lesson differs from previous Lessons.