Volume 5, Number 4 (October - December 2010)

As political accountability and economic reality increasingly influence higher education, many leadership preparation programs are seeking cost effective instructional delivery systems that yield highly effective results.  Simultaneously, large numbers of graduate students are seeking quality leadership preparation programs that provide both learning flexibility and convenience at a reasonable price.  Asynchronous online courses provide students with schedule flexibility, decreased travel expenses and decreased travel time commitments.  These online courses are particularly attractive to working professionals, students with parental responsibilities and students residing in remote geographic areas.  In response to market demand, many leadership preparation programs have turned to hybrid courses, online courses or fully online programs.  Coupled with these phenomena are seasoned leadership faculty members who can be thoroughly entrenched in traditional instructional methodologies.  The development of a critical mass of faculty with the capacity to overcome the organizational barriers to change is fundamental to the successful integration of online components into leadership preparation programs.  How can leadership preparation programs most effectively integrate online learning activities and enhance program vitality without sacrificing program quality?  This paper attempts to provide a partial answer to that question through a synopsis of the research regarding online learning and leadership preparation programs. FULL MANUSCRIPT AVAILABLE AT: http://cnx.org/content/m35690/latest/