Distance education

Not to be confused with homeschooling or out-of-school learning.

Distance education, also known as distance learning, is the education of students who may not always be physically present at school,[1][2] or where the learner and the teacher are separated in both time and distance.[3] Traditionally, this usually involved correspondence courses wherein the student corresponded with the school via mail. Distance education is a technology-mediated modality and has evolved with the evolution of technologies such as video conferencing, TV, and the Internet.[4] Today, it usually involves online education and the learning is usually mediated by some form of technology. A distance learning program can either be completely a remote learning, or a combination of both online learning and traditional offline classroom instruction (called hybrid[5] or blended).[6] Other modalities include distance learning with complementary virtual environment or teaching in virtual environment (e-learning).[3]

Massive open online courses (MOOCs), offering large-scale interactive participation and open access through the World Wide Web or other network technologies, are recent educational modes in distance education.[1] A number of other terms (distributed learning, e-learning, m-learning, online learning, virtual classroom, etc.) are used roughly synonymously with distance education. E-learning has shown to be a useful educational tool. E-learning should be an interactive process with multiple learning modes for all learners at various levels of learning. The distance learning environment is an exciting place to learn new things, collaborate with others, and retain self-discipline.[7]

  1. ^ a b Kaplan, Andreas M.; Haenlein, Michael (2016). "Higher education and the digital revolution: About MOOCs, SPOCs, social media, and the Cookie Monster". Business Horizons. 59 (4): 441–50. doi:10.1016/j.bushor.2016.03.008.
  2. ^ Honeyman, M; Miller, G (December 1993). "Agriculture distance education: A valid alternative for higher education?" (PDF). Proceedings to the 20th Annual National Agricultural Education Research Meeting: 67–73. Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 April 2015.
  3. ^ a b Anderson, Terry; Rivera Vargas, Pablo (June 2020). "A Critical look at Educational Technology from a Distance Education Perspective". Digital Education Review (37): 208–229. doi:10.1344/der.2020.37.208-229. hdl:2445/172738. ISSN 2013-9144. S2CID 225664918.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference :3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Tabor, Sharon W (Spring 2007). "Narrowing the Distance: Implementing a Hybrid Learning Model". Quarterly Review of Distance Education. 8 (1). IAP: 48–49. ISBN 9787774570793. ISSN 1528-3518. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
  6. ^ Vaughan, Norman D. (2010). "Blended Learning". In Cleveland-Innes, MF; Garrison, DR (eds.). An Introduction to Distance Education: Understanding Teaching and Learning in a New Era. Taylor & Francis. p. 165. ISBN 978-0-415-99598-6. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
  7. ^ "Simonson, Michael and Berg, Gary A.. "distance learning"". Encyclopedia Britannica. 17 February 2023. Retrieved 18 April 2023.