ABSTRACT: There has been much recent research about distance education. However, none has focused on the scope or nature of visible and invisible work involved in creating and delivering courses within a synchronous and/or asynchronous distance education environment. It is understood that instructors will do such things as develop on-line materials, organize on-line discussions, and respond to students' queries via e-mail. Any of these activities may be relatively straight-forward for experienced instructors, or require new technological skills, new kinds of working relationships with students, and significant amounts of time that is spent out of sight from one's colleagues.

Unfortunately, the existing research does not address the contribution such work plays and the shaping effect it has on course content and organization and the pedagogic practices employed by the instructor. Lastly, there has been no research undertaken to ascertain if there is a difference between the kinds of visible and invisible work which surrounds distance education courses and those offered in traditional classroom settings. Invisible work, in particular, offers significant challenges for instructors who design and deliver distance education courses. And, technologists and administrators who are not familiar with or located at the instructors' work site(s) often discount it.

In order to make credible claims about the efficacy and value of distance education, it is important to have empirically-anchored research which examines its various dimensions and stakeholders. These dimensions include costs (direct and indirect), infrastructure changes, instructor time commitments, and modifications to course content and pedagogic practice. Although it is important to study students who take distance education courses and/or pursue degrees via distance education and conduct research to see if they learn better, it is important to realize that they are not the only stakeholders (stakeholders include technical support personnel, instructors, students, and administrators). Therefore, holistic investigations must be undertaken if we are to understand the complexity and significance of the many variables involved in distance education design and delivery.

This paper presents the preliminary results of a research study presently being conducted at a public, midwestern university (not my home institution) which delivers an entire library and information science master's degree program via distance education. It employs a critical perspective to interpret data collected through the use of qualitative and quantitative methods. It also builds on the work of Kling, Star, and Suchman who have studied the visible and invisible work of scientific researchers and paralegals. Finally, this study examines the work practices of twenty faculty members at the aforementioned university who have taught a specific course in both traditional classroom and distance education settings to ascertain:

1. the nature and scope of the visible and invisible work;
2. the role visible and invisible work plays in and the impact it has on course organization, content design, and pedagogic practice;
3. the difference between the visible and invisible work surrounding development and delivery of distance education courses and those prepared for and given in a traditional setting.