Knowledgebase about Distance Education

*** This document is being edited continually as the author gain more knowledge about distance education through the course ***


How has distance education evolved over the years?

According to Moore (2005), there are largely five generations of distance education in history. They are:
1. Correspondence
2. Broadcast radio & television
3. Open universities
4. Teleconferencing
5. Internet/Web


How is distance education different than face-to-face education?
Teaching and learning in face-to-face education takes place at the same space and time whereas those in distance education may occur at different times and places. The ways in which or the tools by which space and time constraints are relaxed usually distinguish many different kinds of distance education.  In addition to space and time, teaching is planned and executed independently of learning in distance education whereas teaching and learning in face-to-face education cannot be separated in any meaningful way.


What special needs does a distance learner have?

- A distance learner needs active learning skills because most learning activities in distance education require active participation rather than receiving information passively.
- Since most distance learning environments are technically inclined, distance learners need to possess the minimal amount of computer skills.
- Virtual collaboration skill
The way students collaborate in distance education, for instance with Web 2.0 collaboration tools, requires special skills. Students are used to communicating with both verbal and non-verbal (including facial cues and etc.) means. On the other hand, the collaboration in the virtual setting requires often communicating with only verbal or textual cues. It could take time for some students to develop this kind of new skills. 


What specific skills does a teacher need in an online environment to meet the needs of students?

- technical expertise
- being able to listen attentively to students need in an online setting
- being able to develop a suitable pedagogy for his/her course in an online environment
- knows how to coach in a virtual setting when students tries to learn actively material in an online setting.


What theoretical frameworks or perspectives influence distance education?
- Theory of transactional distance asserts that the distance is a pedagogical phenomenon and is not simply a matter of geographic distance. The transaction that we call distance education is the interplay between people who are teachers and learners, in environments that have the special characteristic of being separate from one another. It is the physical distance that leads to a communication gap, a psychological space of potential misunderstandings between the instructors and the learners that has to be bridged by special teaching techniques: this is the Transactional distance by Moore in "Distance Education: A systems view." 
- Learner autonomy 
- Collaborative learning and the social construction of knowledge


What are the trends in distance education?
- Web-based online education
- Use of Web 2.0 tools from in creating online contents to in collaborating online. 


What research is being conducted in distance education?
- The single largest group of research studies in distance education is on how effective if it is as a way of learning, with a particular communication tools. 
- Much recent research on Web-based Instruction has been done, but without clear reference to the core theory or knowledge of distance education research. 


What are the challenges (for students, for teachers, for schools) for distance education?
Challenges for students:

- By 2019, about  50% of all high school subjects will be taught online.
- Online learning, A Disruptive Innovation for students
- Balance between work and study.
- New digital media literacy - online books, Kindle


Challenges for teachers:

- Learn new technological tools for educational purposes
- Adapt their teaching strategies developed in face-to-face to distance education or create a new one
- The pace at which distance teaching environment changes
- Less flexible to accommodate different learning styles
- Lack of opportunity to provide students personal attention


Challenges for schools (institutions)

- For Educational Institutions - The cost and financial models that exist for traditional education do not work with Distance.
- For Corporate Institutions – Understanding the learning level of their personnel. - For all – Management may not always be effective or correctly governed. Marketing of Distance Education may not always be consistent.


What are the rewards (for students, for teachers, for schools) of distance education?

Rewards for students:
- Expanded curriculum options available to students
- Advanced Placement and accelerated study
- Expanded access to elective subjects for students
- Alternative educational opportunities for diverse students
- Schedule flexibility for students with schedule conflicts
Rewards for teachers

- Renew their teaching continuously
- Help students with up-to-day technological innovations - Become an active teacher and a researcher
- Listen more attentively to students need
- Become a dynamic teacher who solves the challenges in education that the 21st century technological acceleration imposes
- Being able to use diverse tools available
Rewards for schools (institutions)

- When implemented correctly, Distance Education, through E-learning development and proper marketing is profitable.
- A wider base of end-users or personnel may be instructed without regard to time constraints or distance.
- Better training and a larger variety of courses or topics of training may be offered due to reduced expenses and time constraints. This would lead to more people educated in a shorter amount of time.