Making the Connection from
Here to There: Distance
Education Delivery Options
An Overview of
Commonly Used Technologies
James D. Lehman, School of Education
Dean Brusnighan, Office of the Dean of Students
Distance Education
Distance Education
 Refers to organized instruction in which
learners are physically separated from
teachers, and learning resources are
distributed via a medium or media.
 Related terms are distance learning,
open learning, open education,
distributed learning, and distributed
education.
Learning Settings Matrix
Same
Time
Different
Time
Same Place
Different Place
Traditional
Classroom
Instruction
Synchronous
Distance
Learning
Time-Shifted
Classroom
Learning
Asynchronous
Distance
Learning
Learning Settings Matrix
Same Place
Same
Time
Different
Time
Different Place
The Same or Different?
 Some people claim that distance
education is no different than traditional
education.
 Others argue that it is different; a unique
form of education.
 What do you think?
Planning
Planning
 PLANNING is the key to
success in a distributed
learning environment.
 Determine what you want
to teach, to whom, and
how you will do it.
Planning for Accessibility
 Assume that persons with disabilities
will enroll in your distance education
course.
 Incorporate accessibility features into
your course during the development
phase.
This Session’s Focus
 Delivery Systems
• What delivery system (e.g.,
videotape, live video, Internet)
is available?
• Which delivery system offers
the best fit with your content
and your audience?
• How easy or difficult will it be to
prepare your course for this
delivery system?
Pedagogical Functions
Information Presentation
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Printed text
Visuals
Voice, music, other sounds
Full motion images
Student-Teacher Interaction

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Question and answer
Practice with feedback
Office hours
Testing and evaluation
Student-Student Interaction
 Discussion
 Group projects
Learning Resources


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Printed materials
Audiovisual materials
Real objects and models
Computer databases
Delivery System Categories
 Print
 Audio
 Video
 Computer
 Combination
Accessibility Issues
Print, Audio and Video
 Definition of accessibility
 Examples
 What do I do when ...?
• Refer students to DSS office if
accommodations are needed for
print, audio, or video.
Print
Print
 Forms of print-based instruction include:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
textbooks
other books
study guides
pamphlets/booklets
manuals
worksheets
Web pages
Print
 Print has been a staple of distance
education since its beginnings in the
first correspondence courses.
 Today, while print is sometimes still
used as the sole means of distance
learning delivery, it is most often used to
support another technology.
Print
 Advantages
•
•
•
•
•
•
Readily available
Flexible
Stable
Portable
Easy to use
Economical
Print
 Limitations
• Requires adequate levels of literacy
• Requires adequate prior knowledge and
vocabulary
• Lacks interactivity
• Limited effectiveness in depicting dynamic
information
Audio
Audio
 Forms of audio delivery include:
•
•
•
•
audio cassettes
radio (broadcast and shortwave)
audio teleconferencing
audiographics
Audio
 Radio was the first telecommunication
system adapted to distance learning in
North America; it has become a popular
option in some developing countries.
 Use of audio cassettes and audio
teleconferencing remain popular lowcost options today.
Radio
 Advantages
•
•
•
•
Less costly than TV
Can reach a broad geographical area
Stimulates imagination
Useful for content including music,
dramatics, and discussion
Radio
 Limitations
•
•
•
•
More costly than audio cassettes
Fixed broadcast schedule
May be subject to interference
Limited capability for interaction
Audio Cassettes
 Advantages
•
•
•
•
Inexpensive and widely available
User controlled
Easily distributed through postal mail
Can augment print material with taped
lectures/guides
• Good for foreign language study
Audio Cassettes
 Limitations
• Require access to a cassette player
• Lack any visual element
• Time-consuming to produce and duplicate
Audio Teleconferencing
 Advantages
•
•
•
•
•
Relatively inexpensive
Can be point-to-point or multi-point
Easy to use
Interactive
Good for discussion, meetings, and other
interaction
Audio Teleconferencing
 Limitations
• Lacks any visual information
• Requires a speaker phone; may be audio
difficulties
• Sometimes awkward for participants
Audiographics
 Advantages
• Adds visuals to audio teleconference
• Relatively inexpensive
Audiographics
 Limitations
• Requires added equipment (fax, slow-scan
TV, or computer)
• Older systems may be slow to transmit
images; may disrupt audio
Video
Video
 Video options for distance learning
include:
•
•
•
•
video cassettes
one-way video with one-way audio
one-way video with two-way audio
two-way interactive video
Video
 There are multiple methods of
transmitting video for distance learning,
including:
•
•
•
•
•
broadcast television
satellite transmission
microwave transmission (ITFS)
closed-circuit television (CCTV)
cable television (CATV)
Video
 Land-based transmission of video can
occur over fiber optic cables or copper
wires.
 Compressed video is a relatively recent
development that permits video to be
transmitted in less bandwidth; this
permits transmission, for example, over
telephone lines.
Video
 Video is one of the primary delivery
systems for distance education today.
Most institutions doing distance
education use some form of video
delivery.
Video Cassettes
 Advantages
•
•
•
•
•
Inexpensive and widely available
User controlled
Easily distributed through postal mail
Can present dynamic processes
Good for many types of content
Video Cassettes
 Limitations
• Require access to a VCR
• Quality deteriorates with use
• Require time and effort to produce and
duplicate
One-Way Video
with One-Way Audio
 Advantages
•
•
•
•
•
Can reach a broad geographical area
Students can see and hear instructor
Familiar technology
Can be videotaped
Applicable to many different subject
matters
One-Way Video
with One-Way Audio
 Limitations
• No capability for student questions or
interaction
• Fixed schedule
One-Way Video
with Two-Way Audio
 Advantages
• Provides capability for students to ask
questions
• Can reach a broad geographical area
• Students can see and hear instructor
• Can be videotaped
One-Way Video
with Two-Way Audio
 Limitations
• Students may be reluctant to ask questions
• Fixed schedule
Two-Way Interactive Video
 Advantages
• Can be point-to-point or multi-point
• All participants can see and hear one
another
• Can often be done without a full television
studio
Two-Way Interactive Video
 Limitations
•
•
•
•
Requires costly and complex equipment
Expensive to operate
Subject to technical difficulties
Participants may find interaction via the
medium awkward
Two-Way Interactive Video
 Let’s view a short video concerning the
use of two-way video in Purdue’s
Doctoral Cohort Program in Educational
Administration.
Computer
Computer
 Computer-based distance delivery
systems include:
• diskettes and CD-ROMs
• computer conferencing and e-mail
• World Wide Web
Computer
 The computer, especially the World
Wide Web, represents the fastest
growing delivery system for distance
education.
 Many people see the Web as a vehicle
that offers many advantages and few
limitations for distance learning.
Accessibility Issues
Computers
 What do I do when ...?
• A student who is blind needs to
access my course CD-ROM?
• A student who is deaf needs to
access a video clip on my web
page?
Accessibility Issues
Computers
 Adaptive technology is helpful for persons
with disabilities to access information.
 The information must be formatted so that
it is compatible with adaptive technology.
Diskettes and CD-ROMs
 Advantages
•
•
•
•
•
Inexpensive and widely available
User controlled
Easily distributed through postal mail
Interactive instruction possible
Good for many types of content
Diskettes and CD-ROMs
 Limitations
•
•
•
•
Require access to an appropriate PC
Demands a level of technical expertise
Difficult and costly to produce
Must be designed for a particular platform;
quickly outdated
• Interaction limited to what is programmed
into the software
Computer Conferencing
and E-Mail
 Advantages
• Inexpensive and now widely available
• Available at all times
• Stores content for ready access and
reflection
• Can foster depth and breadth of discussion
Computer Conferencing
and E-Mail
 Limitations
•
•
•
•
•
Requires access to an appropriate PC
Demands a level of technical expertise
Relies on reading and writing
Subject to technical difficulties
Can produce information overload
World Wide Web
 Advantages
• Inexpensive and now widely available
• Available at all times
• Capable of using text, graphics, audio, and
even limited video
• Can link to outside resources
World Wide Web
 Limitations
• Requires access to an appropriate PC and
an ISP
• Demands a level of technical expertise
• Difficult and costly to produce content
• Bandwidth limits what can effectively be
done today
WebCT
 Let’s take a brief look at WebCT, a web
course development and support tool
that has become one of the most
popular options not only at Purdue but
throughout the universities of the Big
Ten.
Accessibility Issues
World Wide Web
 Assume that persons with
disabilities will use your web
site.
 Web page development
software has limited built-in
accessibility features, so you
must be an active participant.
Accessibility Issues
World Wide Web
 Incorporate accessibility features
into your Web pages during the
development phase.
Combinations
Combinations
 It is becoming increasingly common for
more than one delivery system to be
used for distance learning (e.g., e-mail
and the Web can augment video-based
courses).
 The strengths of the various systems
combine to offer better options for
distance learning.
The End
Delivery Systems