The University of Alaska Southeast (UAS) has been given the responsibility for providing distance education in Alaska, a vast state geographically with a disperse population. With the vastness of the area for which UAS is responsible for providing educational opportunities, the only cost effective method to meet those responsibilities is distance education. Courses over distance are provided using a variety of technologies; the most widely used has been audio teleconferences. Other media used include videocassette recordings, faxes, electronic mail, communications satellite broadcasts, and the University of Alaska Computer Network (UACN). The UACN system uses several mainframes to connect all parts of the state. Electronic mail is used three different ways by UAS: as the sole delivery source for instruction, as a major feature or backbone of a course, and as a supplement to a course. Currently UAS has four semester-long courses and six or seven workshop classes that are conducted solely on electronic mail. Immediate access to the system at the users' convenience is a prime motivating factor in its use. Problems associated with electronic mail include transmission static, limited access to modems, lack of interaction among students, and unwillingness of professors to use the technology. Advantages of electronic mail include convenience, cost effectiveness, improvement of communication skills, records of all correspondence, student participation, and rapidity of response time by professors. (DB)