faculty satisfaction: To date, participation and commitment by energetic and dedicated faculty members have been the key to the success of the Pennsylvania State University World Campus. Results from three years of a continuing study show that faculty members have been satisfied with high levels of student-faculty interaction, their new ability to reach previously un-served or under-served populations, and positive spillover into their face-to-face teaching. However, the same faculty members have pointed out two aspects of their experiences that are less than satisfactory: an increased workload and an institutional reward system that undervalues ALN teaching and stresses alternate priorities. An additional factor, the collaborative work environment, was identified by some respondents as an incentive and by others as a problem. The study and enhancement of faculty members' experience in ALN must reflect a continuing process of trial, assessment, and improvement. The process should involve dialogue among stakeholders and input from all stakeholders; communication about processes must be open and comprehensive; and responses to both successes and difficulties must be appropriate and timely. The World Campus has adopted the following principles for studying and enhancing faculty satisfaction:

1. Proactively and Continuously Manage Expectations. World Campus staff at all levels make a conscious attempt to clearly explain to prospective or new faculty members the characteristics of and expectations in the collaborative work environment and the online teaching-learning environment. However, to some extent, different groups are operating in different "cultures" with different operating principles, different workflow, and different terminology or different meaning for the same terminology. Because unmet expectations are a potent disincentive to any activity, we need to work even harder to articulate expectations up front and to clearly communicate the implications the expectations are likely have within a faculty member's own frame of reference. Furthermore, this must be an ongoing process; we are all familiar with the extent of "interpretational drift" that can occur after discussions or meetings. Otherwise, just as students "vote with their feet" when their expectations are not met, faculty members are likely to do the same.
2. Distinguish between "Real" and "Perceived" Problems. In some ways this distinction might seem artificial, since all problems are real in terms of their impact and all need to be addressed in some way. However, the distinction is useful in identifying the best way or ways to approach a particular problem. While some problems represent tangible and documented difficulties, such as technology limitations/breakdowns or traditional institutional reward structures, others may be misperceptions or incomplete understandings. For example, although there seems to be universal agreement that the development of online courses is more labor intensive than that of resident courses, there is some evidence that the perception of heavier workload during the delivery phase may be a function of a different and unfamiliar flow or "chunking" of work rather than an increases in load. Solving this type of problem requires a different approach.
3. Identify and Target the Locus of Control and Change. Identifying stakeholders, change agents, and holders of authority in an environment as complex as a major university can be a daunting task. Generalizations are seldom helpful since the lines of influence and authority vary tremendously both between and within the various "cultures" of the university. This complexity can make studying problem areas and implementing solutions time consuming and human-resource intensive. The alternative, however, is even more daunting: resources expended in partial or dead-end solutions, persistent problems that result in escalating dissatisfaction, and, ultimately, low levels of faculty participation and/or commitment. The better we get at understanding each other and our complex environment and relationships, the more successful we will be facilitating or implementing change.