The rush to transition education from the traditional face-to-face to an online or hybrid environment increases each year. Universities realize online education is crucial to the future survival and expansion of their educational programs. Herein we discuss the infrastructure support that is vital to the foundation of a durable online program. The essentials include faculty training and mentoring, a campus network, secure access, data storage, fast and efficient IT support, and the appropriate type of technology for teaching. A crucial element is administrative support...

Institutions focusing on higher learning in health care are turning to distance education as an opportunity to increase enrollments and deliver high-tech education to students. This viable solution is being used to address the need to stay abreast of the many technological changes in health care delivery and the increasing demand for more health care professionals. As institutions change the way they offer education, they must also change the way they offer student support services. Students enrolled in a distance education program at a public health-sciences research university were surveyed...