Distance Education

Source: http://wiki.uiowa.edu/display/edtech/2011+-Distance+Education+is...

Distance education has always interested me a lot; however I didn’t have the chance to learn more about it. After reading several articles, watching YouTube clips and having discussions in class I have more information about its possibilities, advantages and disadvantages. According to the article by Hill (2012), Distance Education can be divided into three major categories, which are: Ad Hoc, Fully online courses and Hybrid courses. Ad hoc are called the courses which are organized for a specific situation and for a specific reason. Fully online courses are those that don’t include any face-to-face meetings or classes and the whole learning process takes place online. The Hybrid one combines the best of the face-to-face and online learning, as it involves part of both. AUA has started applying this new way of learning in its’ Academic Writing courses and the results show that they are effective. In her article Cynthia White (2004) discusses some differences between traditional classrooms and Distance Learning. According to her, distance learning differs from face-to-face learning in a way that it provides the learners a totally new setting with new demands and new opportunities, where the students are the ones to make decisions for themselves compared to the traditional classrooms. If in a regular classroom the teacher physically is standing in front of the students, in Distance Learning he/she is not. The teacher cannot monitor the students work and give immediate feedback. The learners should have self-management skills to oversee the rate and direction of their learning and make their own internal adjustments to that environment (White, 2004). During our class discussion, we pointed out some more important differences and features of the DE, such as the fact that in DE the teachser act more like a trainer rather than a teacher. He/she should have IT skills and also the teacher should mediate between the administration and the students and be aware of different learning styles. We also mentioned some key attributes to Distance FL learners. We stated that the learner is more independent in DE, they should have strong time and organizational management skills and they may face the problem of maintaining internal motivation without regular face-to-face classes. This way of learning indeed has many supporters. As for me, I would prefer haveing face-to-face classes over the DE, since the external factors such as the environment in the educational organization, peer collaboration and the professors’ physical existence may motivate me more. Maybe it’s part of the personality type, or learning strategies, I am not sure… However, having an option to learn even without leaving the house is indeed interesting and in many cases can be very helpful. So, in future, if for some reason I cannot physically be present in classes which I need to take I would take the advantage of this fantastic opportunity and become a distance learner!:)