Critical factors to the success of a course in distance learning: the perception of academics

Due to the current competitive scenario which organizations are inserted, both public and private, it is necessary the use of strategies that will enable companies to stand out from the other ones. Within this perspective the critical success factors (CSF) constitute the necessary resources for an initiative that will be sustained in the long term. This research seeks to identify what are the critical factors for the success of the offer of a specialization course in distance learning mode, from the perspective of academics, using as management elements that make up the CSF, identified in the theoretical survey of authors Rematal, Behar and Maçada (2009). The research is classified as exploratory and quantitative, using the case study method. The results show four factors that are essential to the success of the IES in distance learning (DL), and can be classified as: Environment and Didactic / Pedagogical Organization (EPO); Reputation of the College and the Institution (RCI); Qualification - teacher-tutors (QTT) and Course Structure (CE).

Key words:
Critical factors; Competitive advantage; Distance learning