LESSON 13

DISTANCE EDUCATION
AND
ONLINE LEARNING
 LEARNING TARGETS

At the end of this lesson, you are expected to:

• Trace the difference between distance education and online learning;
• Compare and contrast distance education and face-to-face instruction in terms of the learning and teaching
features; and
• Reflect on how technological innovations shape the evolution of distance education and online learning.
 Have you ever wondered how most famous celebrities finished
Their secondary and tertiary education despite their hectic work
schedule? Well, it is thanks to the power of technology and online
education.
Overview

In this lesson, you will get to know the underpinning concepts of

distance education, especially online learning, where technology is a
key player. You also expect to survey some research about online
education and how technology the living path of
distance education.
DISTANCE EDUCATION
• Distance education or distance learning is a mode of delivery
Education and instruction, often on an individual basis, to students
who are not physically present in a traditional setting such as a
classroom. Distance learning provides “access to learning when
the source of information and the learners are separated by time
and distance, or both.”

• Distance education (DE) has evolved through several historical

stages, from correspondence education to print, radio, and TV, to the
use of teleconferencing, computers, multimedia, and so on until
online learning, including Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs).
DISTANCE EDUCATION
• Examples of Non-traditional forms of
Teaching and learning.
As the general definition, DE uses “non-traditional forms of
Teaching and learning in which the students ad tutors have little  Online learning
 Independent learning/study
or no face-to-face contact, a separation in space and often also in  One-on-one learning
time” (Sewart, 2014, p. 1). Because DE embraces contemporary  Cross-registration
and nontraditonal ways of teaching and learning through the  Residencies
mediation of various media, it has complex nature and scope  Evening courses
 College-prep education
 Kaya and Tan (2014) posited many advantages of distance education. Some of them include the
following:

• Facilitation of mass education;

• Provision of various education options;
• Provision of information from the first source;
• Responsibility to the individuals for their learning;
• Facilitate the individuals for an independent learning;
• Provision of an environment where maximum learning is possible;
• Provision of cost-effective education;
• Raising a standard in education program; and
• Minimizing he inequality of opportunity.
ONLINE DISTANCE EDUCATION

Online distance education also known as

Distance E-learning (DeL), is the combination of
Distance Education and e-Learning which is
characterized by the extensive use of Information and
Communications Technology (ICT) in the delivery of
education and instruction and the use of synchronous
and asynchronous online communication in an
interactive learning environment or virtual communities,
in lieu of a physical classroom, to bridge the gap in
temporal and spatial constraints.
 “Online distance education”, on the other hand,
we may deal with a broad spectrum can be termed
as online distance education. Different terms have
been related to this concept, like web-based,
virtual learning, internet-mediated education,
and computer-based education.
IN 1986, KEEGAN ADVANCED SOME SALIENT FOUNDATIONS OF DE THAT INCLUDE
THE •FOLLOWING:
In 1986, Keegan advanced some salient foundations of DE that include the
following:

• Teachers and students are separated are separated. This case

deciphers online DE from traditional face-to-face.
• The academic institution can still influence the dynamics and
implementation of online DE. This discriminates against self-study and
private tutoring.
• In order to distribute academic content, teachers or facilitators
should utilize a computer network.
• Two-way communication is essential element of online DE through the
use of a computer or web-based technology. In this way, students and
teachers can reach each other anytime.
COMPONENTS, LIMITATIONS, AND THE FUTURE OF
DISTANCE EDUCATION
• A DE system must include “all the component processes that makeup distance
Education including teaching, learning, communication, design and management” and
institutional philosophy. (Moore & Kearsley, 1996). Their view of distance education
indicates that the system would include the following components:
a) sources of knowledge (i.e., faculty);
b) course design mechanism;
c) course delivery mechanism;
d) interaction between students, instructors, and content;
e) system management; and
f) the learning environment.
This means that structuring a DE program does not only necessitate the use and
provision of technology.
COMPONENTS, LIMITATIONS, AND THE FUTURE OF
DISTANCE EDUCATION

• Taylor and Todd (1995)

- expounded that there exists a combination of interactive multimedia, where
students can use online resources and do asynchronous conferencing through
chats and other means. This is called the fourth era or “Flexible Learning Model”
in DE.
- in fourth era, schools optimally use the power of information and communication
technologies to distribute academic content, monitor students’ progress and
learning, and enhance student engagement with the teachers and their fellow
students.
 What will be the future of distance education and online learning? The following
Issues are starting to shape the newest image of distance education.

1. Bringing an off-classroom environment within the online class.

- this refers to the use of virtual and augmented reality as a mushrooming feature of distance
and online education.
2. Bringing an in-class environment outside the online class.
- Because of the quick forward pace of technology, students can read e-books or attend
discussion forums at any time they want and anywhere they are.
3. Edutainment.
- learning can now become more inviting and engaging. In order to increase students’
motivation, game-based technologies, interactive multimedia materials, and self-paced learning
assessment tools can invite more students to embrace DE or online education (OE).
4. E-problem.
- education may become less people-centered. With the mushrooming number of project-based
and self=paced courseware, students can now have liberty to pick the focus of their education.
EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY AND DISTANCE EDUCATION

 Educational theory and technologies play an essential role in DE and OL. They have a significant
impact on the development of ODE systems.
 The design of any distance-learning system should consider its usability as the first step. A formal
model that evaluates students’ interactivity and motivation is proposed in Jun et al. (2002). The model
is tested on several Web-based instruction courses. Besides, five major factors for the development of
computer-aided learning were proposed in Schar et al. (2002). Five factors include theories for
learning, multimedia didactic, learning technologies, information models in human-computer
interaction, and user acceptance.
 Internet can be utilized as a pathway for communication so that students can sustain their engagement
in an online class and discussion forums.
 Innumerable responsibilities can be Some of downloadable
discovered as potential teaching tools for the use Educational games
of technology. One example is that it can be used  MentalUp
to facilitate the accessibility of cheap and readily  LogicLike
downloadable educational games and programs.  Coco
However, on the teacher’s shoulder is the  Curios world
responsibility to choose potential materials and  Toca blocks
use appropriate pedagogies to address students’  Colorfy
needs.  Endless Alphabet
 Some principles of technological use in DE and OL:

1. Technology is more than machines. It should be seen as a tool to achieve a higher

degree of knowledge and better learning.
2. Technology is not just a source. This means that teachers need to plan and structure
instructional delivery by maximizing technology as a resource, as a platform, as an
assessment tool and the like.
3. Technology becomes the mediation for distance education. While it is true that DE,
in the current context; tends to be highlighting
the use of technology as a bridge to finishing a course,
students needs to use technology to build social interaction.
In that way, technology can be potentially used in
sharing information, ideas, and resources to build
a learning community.
That’s all
Thank You!