Unit 1: Reflection on Distance Education

How is distance education defined?

Distance education is defined as a type of learning that occurs at a distance. There are specific traits it must possess though to truly be considered distance education. Distance education must be offered through a formally based school. It occurs via some means of division of student from teacher; often times the student and teacher are not even in the same part of the country. This leads to the next part of distance education, it has to include some sort of "interactive telecommunications". Basically, there has to be some sort of communication going on in order to be a fully functional class that takes the place of a face-to-face class. In addition, it is important in distance education to have a community of students working together to act somewhat like a face-to-face class and have many resources and learning experiences available to all of the students.

Schlosser, L. A., & Simonson, M. (2002). Distance education: definition and glossary of terms. Bloomington, In: Association for Educational Communications and Technology.

How did distance education get started and how has it progressed through the years?

Distance education shows its roots back in the 1800's when students and teachers used correspondence classes. These classes made higher education available to more students, especially those who lacked the wealth that living at and attending a higher education school would cost. In the 1940s and 1950s schools were starting to experiment with using radio and television as a means to educate students at a distance. The major flaw of this method of delivery was that it was one way- no communication between the teacher and the student. In the 1980s the United States saw a shortage of teachers along with the opening of many new rural schools who lacked qualified teachers. New courses became available for these schools via satellite television. By 1989, nearly all states were involved in some kind of distance education. In 1992, the House of Education signed into effect a bill that allowed more Internet based education. It removed the rules that no student could earn a degree entirely online, it allowed for federal aid to be used for Internet classes as well as removed the requirement of 12 hours face-to-face classes each week. Today there are many classes offered online both through universities as well as public schools (such as Florida Virtual School). Distance education has grown tremendously and it is now possible to earn an entire degree in the comfort of your own home. Many school districts also offer online classes for students in kindergarten through 12th grade as it allows them to offer many classes they cannot offer at each school. We may not find 15 students interested in learning Japanese at a small school in my hometown, but if we poll the entire state of Florida, chances are we have enough students interested to have a distance course.

McIsaac, M.S. & Gunawardena, C.N. (2004). Distance Education. In D.H. Jonassen, ed. Handbook of research for educational communications and technology, Second Edition: a project of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology. 355-39

Sherry, L. (1996). Issues in distance learning. International Journal of Educational Telecommunications, 1(4), 337-365

What are some forms of distance education? Are some better than others?
There are many forms of distance education. Early methods included correspondence, radio and television. Most commonly found today are courses via correspondence, television or Internet based, generally the later. I do mention correspondence courses as I do know some colleges did offer them up until recently (and may even still) and some technical courses advertise learning this way (I'm sure we all recall hearing the commercials late at night when we cannot fall asleep). Some methods are better than others. Radio and television are most limited because there is not an opportunity to converse with others. Both are very one-way learning. A student would listen to the teacher talk and that would be the extent of the learning- very direct. Some schools still offer telecourses on public broadcasting stations. I personally find them to be very dry and uninteresting and know that I could not finish a degree if I were expected to learn from those courses. Correspondence also has limitations. When I think of correspondence degrees I generally think via the mail. The mail tends to run slow and it would take a lot of time for feedback. I feel the best method for distance education is via the Internet. The Internet has so many possibilities. One can discuss with programs like BlackBoard and use discussion posts to feel like you are a part of a learning community. You can also work in groups and communicate through chats, instant messenger or e-mail. Overall, the Internet method seems the fastest and most efficient method for receiving a complete education at a distance.

What distance education organizations stand out in the history of distance education and what can we learn from them?

"The United States Distance Learning Association was the first nonprofit Distance Learning association in the United States to support Distance Learning research, development and praxis across the complete arena of education, training and communications." This association was developed in 1987 and has many learning communities including K-12, higher education and telemedicine (to name a few). The USDLA helps to facilitate research and development within education and distance learning. The USDLA is very helpful to distance learners and teachers as it puts out a Journal that details legal issues as well as training and new technology.

Major Ahievements. In United States Distance Learning Association. Retrieved September 15, 2008, from http://www.usdla.org/html/aboutUs/majorAchievements.htm

How do you know if distance education is right for you?

An easy way to figure out if distance education is right for you is by going online and taking a short quiz such as the one at http://www.distancelearn.org/readyDL.cfm to see what it says. It basically has you think about different situations and your learning styles to see if you "fit" with distance learning. A definite must for distance education is your must be dedicated and a self-motivator.