As Distance Education Comes of Age, the Challenge Is Keeping the Students

By SARAH CARR

Colleges are using online courses to raise enrollment, but retaining it is another matter

As a student at Tyler Junior College and an employee of its computer-help desk, Jeff K. Powers has seen firsthand what can make distance-education courses go awry.

After successfully completing two distance courses, Mr. Powers dropped an online astronomy class in mid-semester. The instructor was teaching online for the first time, and had not set up the course work and laboratories