What Technologies Are Currently in Use and Are Planned for the Next Three Years?

Of the institutions offering distance education courses in fall 1995, 57 percent used two-way interactive video and 52 percent used one-way prerecorded video to deliver courses (Table 2). About a quarter of the institutions used two way audio with one-way video, as well as computer-based technologies other than two-way online interactions during instruction (for example, the Internet). Each of the other technologies was used by 14 percent or fewer of the institutions.

About three-quarters of the institutions that currently offer, or plan to offer, distance education courses expect to start or increase their use of two-way interactive video, two-way online (computer-based) interactions during instruction, and other computer-based technologies to deliver their distance education courses in the next 3 years (Table 2). Fewer institutions had plans to start or increase their use of the other technologies, ranging from 8 percent planning to start or increase their use of audio graphics to 49 percent planning to start or increase their use of one-way prerecorded video. (Figure 2)