Distance Education
An Overview and
Commonly Used Technologies
James D. Lehman, School 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 is employed in distance
learning to facilitate communication
between the teacher and learners.
 Sometimes it also facilitates
communication among learners.
 Sometimes it is employed 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
 Video-based lectures (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
 Computer-mediated communication and
the World Wide Web (usually)
 Interaction is mediated by the
technology
Uses In Education
 Let’s watch a short video that introduces
issues related to distance education 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
Recent Statistics
 In 2003, the U.S. Dept. of Education released
statistics, gathered for the 2000-01 academic
year, about the use of distance learning in
U.S. institutions of higher education.
 In 2000-01, 56% of U.S. institutions of higher
education (and about 90% of public
institutions) offered some distance education
courses with 3+ million enrollments.
Source: Distance Education at Degree-Granting Postsecondary Institutions: 2000-01,
NCES 2003-017, National Center for Education Statistics, July, 2003.
Recent Statistics
 Predominant delivery technologies
included:
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•
•
•
•
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Internet: asynchronous (90%)
Two-way interactive video (51%)
Internet: synchronous (43%)
One-way recorded video (41%)
One-way live video (19%)
CD-ROM (29%)
Recent Statistics
 Distance learning was for:
• Undergraduates (82%)
• Graduate students (18%)
 Distance learning was directed to*:
•
•
•
•
•
Homes (49%)
Branch campuses (39%)
Other institutions (35%)
Schools (24%)
Places of work (18%)
* From a prior report
Indiana Distance Education
 College
• IHETS
 K-12
• Vision Athena
• Indiana Online Academy
Delivery Systems
Delivery System Categories
 Print
 Audio
 Video
 Computer
 Combination
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
•
•
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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
•
•
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More costly than audio cassettes
Fixed broadcast schedule
May be subject to interference
Limited capability for interaction
Audio Cassettes
 Advantages
•
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•
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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
Video
Video
 Video options for distance learning
include:
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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:
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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
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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
•
•
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Requires costly and complex equipment
Expensive to operate
Subject to technical difficulties
Participants may find interaction via the
medium awkward
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.
Diskettes and CD-ROMs
 Advantages
•
•
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•
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
•
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•
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
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•
•
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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
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.
A Purdue Example
 Let’s watch some video clips of a
Purdue project that makes unique use
of distance education technologies.
Planning
Planning
 PLANNING is the key to
success in a distributed
learning environment.
 Determine what you want
to teach, to whom, how
you will do it, and how
you will assess
outcomes.
Developing Activities
Strategies for
Teaching at a Distance
The audio
is not
working.
Instructional Methods
 Brainstorming activity:
• What are instructional methods that
can be used in on-campus courses?
Instructional Methods
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Lecture/presentation
Discussion
Interview
Demonstration
Role play
Case study
Brainstorming
Writing
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Lab
Reading
Group project
Discovery learning
Drill / problems
Tutorial
Simulation
Test / quiz
Instructional Methods
 Which instructional methods/strategies
could not be utilized in a distance
learning setting? Why?
Teaching at a Distance Strategies
 Brainstorming activity:
• How might traditional instructional
activities be adapted for video
delivery?
Developing Evaluations
Strategies for Assessing
Student Learning at a Distance
Evaluation Methods

Brainstorming activity:
– What are evaluation methods that can
be used in on-campus courses?
Evaluation Methods
 Tests
 Quizzes
 Student projects or
products
 Homework problems
 Questionnaires or
surveys
 Lab reports
 Papers or other
written work
 Performance or
demonstration by
students
 Simulation
Evaluation Methods

Which evaluation methods can be
utilized in a distributed learning setting?
How would they have to be modified, if
at all?
Teaching at a Distance
Part Science
Part Art
Part Technology
THE END