| Colleges and universities are rapidly increasing the number of courses they offer through distance education technologies. Many colleges and universities in South Carolina use broadcast television, satellite television with one-way video/two-way audio, prerecorded video, and computer assisted learning to deliver instruction to students off-campus. Businesses, however, deliver more education and training to more people than the entire United States' higher education system at an annual cost of over forty-eight billion dollars.;This study describes how large South Carolina manufacturing businesses and higher education institutions can work together to reduce what many refer to as a duplication of effort in education and training. The study analyzed questionnaire responses from selected South Carolina business executives and college officials. The questionnaires addressed current attitudes regarding business-higher education partnerships, perceptions of value and current use of distance education, and issues surrounding the development of business-higher education partnerships for employee training and education through distance education.;Data analysis indicated similar positive attitudes among the respondents regarding the merits of partnerships, that South Carolina businesses use a significant amount of distance education in their current training of employees, and that businesses' and colleges' respondents see the use of distance education increasing. Business respondents reported that their training needs were also increasing. No current business-higher education partnerships using distance education were reported between respondents, although one-third of the higher education institutions surveyed reported that this use of distance education was currently being considered.;Based upon a synthesis of the data analysis and the literature review, a model is developed that describes a series of activities and conditions that South Carolina business leaders and higher education administrators must pursue to form successful partnerships for training businesses' employees using distance education. The model focuses on the areas of identifying needs, performing preliminary cost analysis, strategic planning, systems analysis, institutional commitment, definitive cost/benefit analysis, modifying organizational design, policies and roles, implementing the change process, and assessment/evaluation. |
