摘要：Distance learning is a model of teaching-learning which has been playing an increasing role in higher educational institutions. This paper focuses on the establishment and monitoring of an IS (Information Systems) undergraduate distance course, offered by the UAB (Open University of Brazil). The course is under the responsibility of a Brazilian public university (Universidade Federal de S. Carlos -UFSCar) in a partnership arrangement involving city councils and the Federal Government via the Brazilian Ministry of Education. The main goals of the paper are: (1) to describe UFSCar's experience of establishing a new distance course (which started in 2007, simultaneously with four other) and give a broad view of the main variables and problems involved in the process; (2) to present and discuss the accomplishments as well the difficulties facedover the last five year period. The paper reports several refinements the process of establishing a new distance course has gone through, to be adjusted to the dynamic and flexible nature of the environment as well as to the fast and volatile characteristics of many of the computational techniques supporting the learning environment
