Distance Education
An Overview
James D. Lehman, College of Education
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.
Role of Technology
 Technology may be employed in
distance learning to
• to facilitate communication between the
teacher and learners
• to facilitate communication among learners
• because it is an effective and efficient way
to present content and engage the learners
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
Same Time – Same Place
Traditional Classroom
 Live lectures and demonstrations
 Laboratories and other hands-on work
 Live student-to-student as well as
teacher-to-student interactions
Different Time – Same Place
Time-Shifted Classroom
 Audio-tutorial and other modular forms
of instruction
 Videotaped lectures
 Interaction may be mediated by
technology or provided in separate
sessions for that purpose
Same Time – Different Place
Synchronous Distance Learning
 Audio teleconferencing and radio
 Synchronous Internet communication
(e.g., chat, webinar)
 Video-based classes (both one-way and
two-way) and television
 Interaction is mediated by the
technology (often audio)
Different Time – Different Place
Asynchronous Distance Learning
 Correspondence courses
 Videotapes and other packaged
instruction
 Web-based courses (usually)
 Interaction is mediated by the
technology
Uses In Education
 Let’s watch a short video that introduces
a little information about distance
education options in the schools.
In what ways is distance
education like traditional
classroom learning? In what
ways is it different?
Distance learning: why?
Why have distance education?
 The key issue is one of access.
 Traditionally, educational institutions
have been isolated islands of learning;
people have been forced to come to the
academy to seek knowledge.
 Distance education allows people to
pursue learning from different locales.
Access Issues
 Physical geography -- people may be
located in rural or remote locations far
from educational institutions (e.g., U.S.
West, Hawaii, other countries, rural
Indiana).
Access Issues
 Individual disability -- injury, illness, or
handicap may prevent an individual
from attending an institution.
Access Issues
 Reaching new audiences -- for
institutions, a key attraction of distance
learning is the potential to tap new
audiences and thereby increase
enrollments.
Access Issues
 Institutional resources -- a small school
may not be able to justify the cost of a
teacher of Chinese for the few students
who might want to take it.
Access Issues
 Personal Resources -- affordability of
education, especially higher and
continuing education, is a key concern
that may be addressed through distance
learning.
Access Issues
 Time/Convenience -- increasingly,
especially for adult learners, the biggest
issue is time and the flexibility to pursue
education amid other obligations.
Distance Learning
Data
College Statistics
 In 2000-01, the U.S. Dept. of Education
gathered data about the use of distance
learning in U.S. institutions of higher
education.
 At that time, 56% of all institutions of higher
education offered some distance education
courses. Nearly 3,000,000 enrollments were
recorded in distance learning course (a 4-fold
increase in 5 years)
Source: National Center for Education Statistics, 2003, NCES 2003-017.
.
College Statistics
 Predominant delivery technologies
included:
•
•
•
•
Internet-based courses (90%)
Two-way interactive video (51%)
One-way video (41%)
CD-ROM (29%)
K-12 Schools
 A 2002-03 survey by the U.S. Dept. of
Education looked into distance education in
K-12 schools.
 At that time, 9% of public schools had
students enrolled in distance education
courses. Over 300,000 students were
enrolled with proportionately more in rural
districts.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics, 2005, NCES 2005-010.
.
K-12 Schools
 About half of K-12 distance education
enrollment were in advanced placement
courses.
 Predominant technologies were:
•
•
•
•
Two-way video (55%)
Asynchronous Internet courses (47%)
Synchronous Internet courses (21%0
One-way video (16%)
Indiana Distance Education
 College
• IHETS (www.ihets.org)
 K-12
• Vision Athena (www.cilc.org)
• Indiana Online Academy
(www.indianaonlineacademy.com)
THE END