At present, with new technologies emerging daily and the growing need for more flexibility in scheduling, there seems to be an overall drive towards the need for distance learning. According to PBS Campus, 67% of colleges and universities agree that online education is a critical, longterm strategy for their institution. As a result, 49% of public colleges and universities and 34% of all higher education institutions offer complete online degree programs (PBS Campus, 2004). In addition, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, "in the 12-month 2000-2001 academic year, there were an estimated 3,077,000 enrollments in all distance education courses offered by 2-year and 4-year institutions. There were an estimated 2,876,000 enrollments in college-level, credit-granting distance education courses, with 82 percent of these at the undergraduate level" (Waits & Lewis, 2003, p. 1). The fundamental premise of distance learning was to create and widen access to education and to improve its quality, using distance education techniques and associated technologies to meet the particular requirements of individuals who were unable to participate in the traditional classroom environment. The purpose of this paper is to explore factors related to common misconceptions about distance learning, including: faculty preparation time, effective use of appropriate technology, learning styles of students, the need for orientation, training and support, and cost. (Contains 4 tables and 2 figures.) [For complete proceedings, see ED490133.]