Distance Education

Distance Education

"Distance education is a process that creates and provides access to learning when time and distance separate the source of information and the learners"(Zhang, 1998, p.1). Distance education defies time and space and can help create a "virtual schoolhouse, or a ‘classroom without walls’"(Wheat, 1998, p.1). The "need to take the distance out of education has not been driven largely by sheer need to bridge physical separations. It has been based mainly on providing access as open as possible to those who are willing to avail themselves of the opportunities education affords them"(Tam, 1998, p.3). "Education needs to reach those who are disadvantaged by location, finance, time, and resources"(Tam, 1998, p.3). Distance learning can also reach students "with an unusual learning needs" or "unusual emotional problems", who need to take "atypical courses", or who have "visual learning styles"(Dede, 1990, p.3). "Distance learning is a strategy educational institutions are initially using to overcome inadequacies of local resources for meeting learners’ needs"(Dede, 1990, p.3). "Distance learning is hardly a new idea; correspondence courses have been offered since the mid-1800’s"(Sonner, 1999, p.1). New technologies have simply given distance educators more options on how to supply distance learning to potential distance learners.

Technology-Assisted Distance Education

The technologies of distance education "have been evolving from traditional technologies such as mail, telephone, fax, to instructional television, to VCR-based technology, and computers systems such as the Internet (Zhang, 1998, p.2). "Internet-based distance courses are booming"(Zhang, 1998, p.2) "IP (Internet Protocol) is the way the ...

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