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Mills' sociological imagination is used to look at relevant issues in the life of a lesbian academic couple in a distance relationship. Analysis includes concerns which are common to both lesbian and heterosexual couples in distance situations such as finding jobs, tenure, productivity, mentoring, managing two households, communication, community, and those items unique to lesbian couples-coming out to students, finding and maintaining a lesbian community, effects of hiring practices in academe. Based on the analysis, recommendations are presented.

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Distance learning via the internet has become the key to reaching adult learners globally. Adult learners have been shown to benefit from such qualities as: provisions for self-directed learning, flexibility, and frequent communication with the instructor in order to achieve success. Contract learning and contract grading are two innovations popularized during the “individualized instruction” movement of the 1970s which are being used to assist instructors of twenty-first century on-line learning courses in providing for self-direction, flexibility and frequent communication. The chapter which follows will provide an overview of contract learning and contract grading as it can be used with adult learners in distance learning courses (e.g., courses supported by WebCT, Blackboard). The chapter will examine adult learning theories which support contract learning/grading as well as provide information on designing learning contracts and grading contracts which are appropriate for adult learners.

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