| Changes in populations, economics, and politics are pressuring higher education to reach new audiences. In an effort to serve educational needs, institutions of higher education seek new methods and new technologies to extend the boundaries of the campus.;Research has shown that instruction which utilizes technology for delivery to distant learners can be as effective as face-to-face instruction. Despite the availability of the technology, its proven capabilities, and the documented need for off-campus instruction, actual use of technology is lagging. The purpose of this research was to explore the apparent barriers to the use of technology and identify characteristics and attributes of Land Grant university faculty which may contribute to the formation of attitudes toward technology and distance education.;Surveys designed to gather information on attitudes and demographics were distributed to faculty members at Colorado State University and the University of Wyoming. Chi-square and Log-linear analyses of the data revealed relationships and interrelationships of variables studied. The following conclusions could be drawn from the analyses: (A) Academic discipline has influence on institutional responsibility to the state, perceptions of the cost of technology, the selection of the type of technology, identification of available technologies, and the abilities of technology. (B) Tenure status effected responses to the institution's adequacy of service to the state, methods of selecting technology, preparation for using technology; and in combination with rank, the awareness of technology available on-campus. (C) Age of the faculty and years in academe created opinions toward talent and training needed to use technology. (D) The factor which influenced most of the response variables was the institution, either Colorado State or University of Wyoming. Institution was significant for: (1) Experience with technology; (2) Attitude toward off-campus teaching; (3) Perceptions of the effectiveness of technology; and (4) Methods of selection of technology by the institution.;Recommendations for further action include involvement of faculty in development of institutional plans for use of technology, continued research into technology's effectiveness for teaching in various disciplines, modification of campus rewards systems to include and encourage technology use, utilization of interdisciplinary and interinstitutional teams of scholars to design and develop materials for technology based instruction. |
