DISTANCE EDUCATION

WHAT IS DISTANCE
EDUCATION?
 What is distance
education?

Distance education or long-distance learning is the

education of students who may not always be physically
present at a school. Traditionally, this usually
involved correspondence courses wherein the student
corresponded with the school via post. Today it involves online
education. A distance learning program can be completely
distance learning, or a combination of distance learning and
traditional classroom instruction
 DESMOND REAGAN (1996) PROPOSES ONE OF THE
MOST THOROUGH DEFINITIONS OF DISTANCE
LEARNING, WHICH INCLUDES 5 BASIC
REQUIREMENTS:

1.The quasi-separation of teacher and learner through out the period in the leaning
process.
2. The influence of an educational organization for the planning of courses.
3. The use of technology and media.
4. The precision of two-way interaction and communication.
5.The quasi-permanent absence of a learning group so that students are taught more as
individual than as groups.
 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF DISTANCE
LEARNING
Mid-19th century Europe and the United States, the origin of Distance education
was traced.
The pioneers of distance education used the best technology of their day, the
postal system, to open educational opportunities to people who wanted to learn
but were not able to attend conventional schools.
 Benefited from such correspondence education included those with:
 physical disabilities,
 women who were not allowed to enroll in educational institutions open only to
men
 people who had jobs during normal school hours, and
 those who lived in remote regions where schools did not exist.
In 1840
 An Englishman, Isaac Pitman, is credited as an early pioneer. He
began teaching shorthand by correspondence in Bath, England.
 Students were instructed to copy short passages of the Bible and
return them for grading via the new penny post system.

in 1874
• American university level distance education began at Illinois
Wesleyan University where bachelor and graduate degrees could
be obtained in absentia
In about 1882
 The Chautauqua movement gave the popular push to correspond. Advocate for
adult education, sacred and earthly. Chautauqua movement had emerged as a
leading educational, cultural, and political force in American life in the late
nineteenth century.
1900
 The teaching of academic and vocational courses by
correspondence(communication by exchanging letters with someone) became
quite popular and problems of quality and ethical practice came with the
popularity.
In 1926
 The National Home Study Council (NHSC) was formed in part to address these
issues.

In 1915
 Accreditation of college and university distance programs fell to the National
University Extension Association.
 In the 1920s and in the 1940s

The invention of educational radio and the advent of television respectively created
important new forms of communication.

In the early 1900s

The development of reliable long-distance telephone systems also increased the
capacity of distance educators to reach new student populations.
But telephone systems never played a prominent role in education until the
introduction of new teleconferencing technologies in the 1980s and 1990s.
Teleconferencing systems made it possible for teachers to talk with, hear, and see
their students in real time - that is, with no delays in the transmissions - even if
they were located across the country or around the world.
In the 1980s and 1990s

 Distance education increasingly uses combinations of different communications

technologies to enhance the abilities of teachers and students to communicate
with each other.
With the spread of computer network communications, large numbers of people
gained access to computers linked to telephone lines, allowing teachers and
students to communicate in conferences via computers.
ADVANTAGES AND
DISADVANTAGES OF
DISTANCE EDUCATION
ADVANTAGES OF
DISTANCE
EDUCATION

 1. Greater Flexibility

With distance learning

programs, students can pursue
and complete their desired
courses from anywhere with the
use of computer and internet
connection. A larger percentage
of those that enroll for distance
education are actually persons
who are working.
Distance education allows such
students to find convenient time
to study without interfering with
their already busy schedule.
ADVANTAGES OF
DISTANCE EDUCATION

 2. No Commuting

Distance learning takes

place online, which means
students don't need to
spend money and time
commuting to and from
class venues. Students can
take lessons and complete
assignments from the
comfort of their home.
ADVANTAGES OF
DISTANCE EDUCATION

 3. Significant Cost Savings

The cost of online-based

education programs is
generally lower compared to
those offered in brick-and-
mortar institutions.
Undertaking an online course
or program also eliminates
the costs associated with
commuting, renting an
apartment and/or getting
meal plans. That means
distance learning an
economically viable option
for both students and
parents.
ADVANTAGES OF
DISTANCE EDUCATION

 4. Convenient Learning

For most of the working class

students, going back to the
classroom is rather
intimidating. Asking
questions about a hard
concept about a given topic
can also be embarrassing for
shy students. But that's not
the case with distance
learning. A disciplined and
self-motivated student can
learn at his or her own pace.
DISADVANTAGES OF DISTANCE
EDUCATION

1.Lack of Social Interaction

Learning in a brick-and-mortar
institution presents students
with the opportunity to meet
and interact with people from
different locations on a
personal level. Distance
learning only limits students to
classes and learning materials
that are based online.
DISADVANTAGES OF DISTANCE
EDUCATION

2. High Chances of Distraction

With no face-to-face interaction

with instructors and other
students, those who are
enrolled on an online program
might find it hard to keep track
of their course work and
assignments. That's because
there are no constant reminders
about pending assignments
and/or deadlines.
DISADVANTAGES OF DISTANCE
EDUCATION

3. Complicated Technology

Any student seeking to enroll
for a distance learning
program needs to invest in a
range of equipment including
computer, webcam and stable
internet connection. There is
absolutely no physical
contact between students
and instructors as instruction
is delivered over the internet.
DISADVANTAGES OF DISTANCE
EDUCATION

4.
Questionable Credibility of
Online Degrees
Despite its convenience and
affordability, distance learning
is still not the best option for
many due to lack of lack of
quality faculty members. Even
when the instructors are fully
qualified and experienced, they
might not find it comfortable to
teach in an online environment.
The design and delivery of
every course differs greatly.
EVALUATION İN DISTANCE
EDUCATION

 Basic measures of activity

 Any system evaluation must begin with certain basic
measures. How many courses have been produced?
How many students are there? How many applicants
had to be turned away? This data is drawn from
administrative records and is presented, proudly or
otherwise, in annual reports.
EVALUATION İN DISTANCE
EDUCATION

 Measures of efficiency
 Allied to measures of activity come those of efficiency.
How many students successfully complete the courses?
What workload do they attempt? What is the
throughput of students? Again this data comes from
administrative records (McIntosh, Woodley and
Morrison, 1980).
EVALUATION İN DISTANCE
EDUCATION

 Outcomes
 Measures of adequate learning are usually considered
to be covered by formal exams and assessment.
However, as we note later in this report, there have
been some attempts to measure the development of
distance students as learners using study inventories
and in-depth interviews over a period of several years.
EVALUATION İN DISTANCE
EDUCATION

 Programme aims
 Some distance teaching programmes specify their basic
aims in terms of what and whom they intend to teach.
One of the evaluation needs will be establish the
extent to which these aims have been met. The easiest
way to measure who the students are is to include
detailed questions on the application form and store
this data as part of the student record.
EVALUATION İN DISTANCE
EDUCATION

 Organisational evaluation
 A distance education programme or institution can be
evaluated in terms of its internal organisation and
procedures. Just as in any other setting this can involve
scrutinising the financial management and general
"organisation and methods".
EVALUATION İN DISTANCE
EDUCATION

 Policy Evaluation
 Formative evaluation in the policy area can take the
form of market research. Surveys of prospective
students and employers can be carried out to measure
the likely demand for possible new courses. Surveys of
current students can also be used to sound out opinion
on various policy options.
WHAT ARE THE CRITERIA
TO EVALUATE IN
DISTANCE EDUCATION?

 1. Establishment of a
Pedagogical Planning Unit for
distance learning, which will
be responsible for the
support of the Distance
Learning Unit and will
address the requirements for
study materials, interactive
activities and formative
assessment in accordance to
international standards.

 2. Stipulating feedback
processes for students in
relation to written
assignments.

 3. Specific plan to ensure

student interaction with each
other, with the teaching staff,
and the study material.
WHAT ARE THE CRITERIA
TO EVALUATE IN
DISTANCE EDUCATION?

 4. Development of
teacher training
programmes focusing on
interaction and the
specificities of distance
learning.

 5. A complete assessment
framework design,
focusing on distance
learning methodology,
including clearly defined
evaluation criteria for
student assignments and
the final examination.

 6. Plan of a set number of

expected teleconferences
for presentations,
discussion and question-
answer sessions,
REFERENCES

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distance_education
 https://www.eztalks.com/elearning/advantages-and-disadvanta
ges-of-distance-learning.html
 https://www.worldbank.org/en/webarchives/archive?url=httpzz
xxweb.worldbank.org/archive/website00236B/WEB/QA_02.HTM
 https://www.dipae.ac.cy/index.php/en/enimerosi/anakoinoseis/
133-2017-09-13-criteria-quality-indicators-distance-learning-pr
ogrammes-study