This handbook describes what must be done to coordinate and manage distance education activities, shares practitioners' tips, provides guidelines for ensuring quality and strategies for building successful programs, and tells how to find specialized information. In addition to offering an introduction to the concepts and activities of distance education, the book is a guide to continuing one's professional development while employed in the field. The handbook's five chapters explore five central topics of distance education: (1) how the emerging field of distance education is defining and redefining itself; (2) how to distinguish the mission of distance education from that of other organizations; (3) how to identify and apply the most effective methods in distance education materials and instruction; (4) how to manage distance education activities, combining quality and financial self-sufficiency; and (5) how to develop and maintain one's professional knowledge of the field. An annotated list of 13 references as well as 32 reference notes are included in this guide. (KC)