This exploratory correlational study incorporating descriptive methodologies examined faculty perceptions of both the degree of presence and magnitude of importance of quality benchmarks in postsecondary distance delivered instruction. Two separate and distinct instruments were used in the study; 1) an author/researcher developed demographic instrument, and 2) the Quality On-Line Benchmarks. The quantitative demographic instrument, consisting of nine closed-end questions, was used to acquire faculty related information. The Quality Benchmark instrument was comprised of 24 Likert-scale questions used to assess factors directly related to postsecondary distance delivered instruction. These 24 questions were grouped into seven categories. Two separate Likert scales measured faculty perception of the degree of presence and level of importance of these individual categories. Both instruments, utilizing paper-and-pencil instruments, were distributed to all faculty at a midwestern community college academic partnership. A total of 84 participants were included in the census sample with an aggregate return rate of 58.33 percent. The study incorporated three independent and fourteen dependent variables. Instructional mechanisms were classified as independent variables. The domains or benchmark categories within the quality survey were considered dependent variables. Additionally, the degree of presence and the perception of relative importance of each domain were also investigated for IVDL and Internet instructors, and the perception of relative importance for F2F instructors, yielding a total of 14 dependent variables. Fourteen research hypotheses were tested, consisting of 12 one-tailed and two null hypotheses. Descriptive analytical techniques revealed the affirmation of seven hypotheses and the rejection of the two null hypotheses. Specifically, faculty reported the level of importance of:
a) institutional support, b) course development, c) course structure, and d) faculty support as higher in Internet courses than in Interactive Video Distance Learning (IVDL) courses. Additionally, the degree presence of:
a) course development, b) course structure, and c) faculty presence was reported as higher in Internet courses than in IVDL courses. Lastly, faculty perceptions of the equivalency of both presence and importance of evaluation and assessment in both learning environments (i.e., Internet, IVDL) were rejected.