According to this paper, distance education exists as a means to provide access to students who might otherwise not participate in higher education due to any number of constraints, whether internal or external. Sinclair Community College is an urban, commuter college located in Dayton, Ohio. It has a fall headcount of roughly 20,000 students, with approximately 10% of the FTE generated from distance learning. Sinclair offers a distance learning program that provides many alternatives to on-campus classroom learning. Sinclair opted to begin an exploration of its distance-learning program by comparing the performance and persistence of students involved in different course delivery modes. The study considered four categories of distance learning: (1) videocassette; (2) televised interactive; (3) Web-based; and (4) audio. The study used a matched pairs design to match distance learners with students in traditional classes by age, gender, and ethnicity. The distance learning group had a mean course grade of 2.31, and the traditional group had a mean course grade of 2.81. In addition, distance learners were less likely to enroll in any class at Sinclair the following quarter (65.3% compared to 73.5% of the general population students). Concludes that distance learners are more apt to be juggling jobs and family obligations. (Contains 10 tables and 16 references.) (NB)