IN THIS ISSUE of the Adjunct Advocate, we’re looking at the subject of distance education and how it impacts adjunct faculty. The idea for the issue originated with writers Chris Cumo and Evelyn Beck. Staff writer Chris, together with regular columnist Evelyn, worked tirelessly to put together the editorial content you have before you. It was the first time in 10 years of publishing the Adjunct Advocate that guest editors were involved in the production of an issue. They brainstormed the content, as well as potential contributors to write the content. I am both pleased and proud of their dedication and hard work.

Let me also thank all of the writers who contributed to this issue of the magazine. The pieces take very different approaches in their examination of the subject of distance education. This demonstrates clearly that, where distance education is concerned, there is no one approach to a better understanding of the potential opportunities and the probable pitfalls. The instructional medium has changed significantly over the past five years, and will most certainly change more over the next five years. There are two certainties, however. Just as in face-to-face instructional settings, adjunct faculty will continue to be used in great numbers to staff virtual classrooms, and the Adjunct Advocate will continue to report on the newsworthy developments.

On a different note, the Web page redesign has met with approval from users. Since launching the new Web page, it has hosted between 15,000-20,000 more individual visitors each month. Users are looking at more pages on the site, and staying longer. After the JOB-LIST, the Forum (Message Boards) has been the most popular new feature. Each week, thousands of users read through the messages posted, and a smaller number of users post to the discussions. I am happy that we are able to provide part-time faculty with opportunities to connect with each other. If you haven’t already, take a moment and check out the new message boards.

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