| This study examines self-reported computer anxiety levels and attitudes toward distance education of faculty at a medium-sized public university in Indiana. Participants were categorized by gender, employment classification, academic school, and study group (based upon distance education experience and intent to use a distance education format). Female faculty reported lower computer anxiety than male. Full-time faculty reported slightly lower computer anxiety than part-time. Differences in computer anxiety existed among academic schools, Nursing and Health Professions reporting the lowest computer anxiety, and Science and Engineering Technology reporting the highest.;Low computer anxiety was associated with positive attitudes toward distance education for both Before-Transition and After-Transition Survey groups. For the Before-Transition group, correlations between computer anxiety and attitude toward a transition to distance education, impact of distance education on the respondent's field, and impact of distance education on higher education were each significant. For the After-Transition group, the correlation between computer anxiety and attitude toward the impact of distance education on higher education was significant. Attitudinal similarities and differences between Before-Transition and After-Transition Survey groups were recorded. The groups agreed on most issues addressed in the surveys, but differed with regard to student work quality, improvement of students' technological skills, and instructor appreciation of the flexibility of distance education format.;Technological self-confidence was examined relative to teaching a distance education course. A large majority of faculty in the After-Transition group reported positive technological self-confidence as a result of experiencing the distance education format, including 31.6% claiming extremely positive technological self-confidence and 63.2% claiming somewhat positive self-confidence. Secondly, technological self-confidence was compared between study groups. Faculty respondents that had taught a distance education course reported higher frequencies of positive technological self-confidence levels as well as lower frequencies of negative levels compared to respondents who had not taught a distance education course. Lastly, high computer anxiety was correlated with a low technological self-confidence rating. Correlation results for the Before-Transition Survey group were significant.;Findings suggest that reducing faculty computer anxiety through technological training would foster successful inclusion of distance education courses and lead to increased faculty technological self-confidence. |
