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Strategies for implementing distance learning coursework have evolved and expanded with the growth and maturation of the World Wide Web. The requirements, advantages, and disadvantages of the most common strategies are compared and contrasted. Initially limited to individual efforts, software development has eased the burden of individual faculty and has opened up strategies for greater participation. Institutions attempting large‐scale implementations, however, may find infrastructure requirements overwhelming. An emerging large‐scale strategy involves an institutional partnership with a for‐profit application service provider (ASP). The ASP specializes in total systems solutions for developing and delivering Web‐based distance learning programs. Recent experiences at California State University, Fullerton, with an ASP are discussed.

This paper describes a re‐engineering project undertaken by a comprehensive university’s extended education department. The project involved a transition from a decentralized workplace dominated by Macintosh personal computers to an IBM PC/clone‐based client/server environment. Lessons learned during the decision making and platform conversion stages of the project are emphasized. These lessons are applicable to other similar re‐engineering projects.