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Abstract
The purpose of this study was to identify the roles, outputs, and competencies of distance learning professionals within the United States and Canada. In order to accomplish this a population of 103 distance education experts were identified, and their perceptions regarding this information were sought.
The Round One Survey, which was administered in an open-ended format and modeled after the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) competency study on human resource development, resulted in a response rate of 50%, or 51 returned and completed surveys of the 103 distributed. Using a decision rule of "at least two responses," 11 roles, 83 outputs, and 51 competencies were identified from the first round.
The Round Two Survey, which included a 5-point scale to rate the importance of the outputs and competencies and a 6-point scale to rate the criticality of the competencies across all roles, was sent to the 51 experts who participated in round one. A response rate of 71%, or 36 returned and completed surveys of the 51 distributed, was achieved on the second round (the overall percent of return from the original 103 surveys was 35%, or 36 out of 103). The results indicated no additional roles, outputs, or competencies to be added to the findings from round one, however, changes in two role titles were suggested.
A final list of competencies in rank order was developed from the second round, as well as ranked lists of outputs and competencies by individual role. From these findings, a competency model for distance learning was developed. The model illustrates the final top ten competencies and the eleven roles, and includes a supplemental table outlining outputs and competencies by individual role. The top ten competencies portray the dual importance of both communication and technical skills in distance learning. These ten competencies are: (1) Interpersonal Communication, (2) Planning, (3) Collaboration/Teamwork, (4) English Proficiency, (5) Writing, (6) Organizational, (7) Feedback, (8) Knowledge of Distance Learning Field, (9) Basic Technology Knowledge, and (10) Technology Access Knowledge.
