Identification of the Principal Components of Distance Education and Human Resource Development in Payame Noor University and Presenting a Model

The purpose of the present research was to identify the role of distance education system in human resource development in Payame Noor University (PNU) as the pioneer university in Iran and presenting a model using descriptive survey method.. Statistical population consists of all Ph.D. students of PNU in 1390-1391 who were 1082 people, so 321 people were chosen among them using stratified random sampling. The main instrument of the research was two researcher-made questionnaires which were designed based on the theoretical and literature review of distance education and human resource development. Validity of the questionnaires were verified by experts and its reliability by using Cronbach’s alpha was 0.898 for distance education and 0.872 for human resource development. In this survey, the findings show that distance education had three main components (i.e. technology, interaction, and facilities) and human resource development had four main components (i.e. knowledge, attitude, skill, and behavior). By ranking the components and indices of distance education and human resource development using LISREL 8.53, a theoretical model was proposed which suggests that, if administered properly, distance education can lead to development of human resources and its components, i.e. knowledge, attitude, skill, and behavior.