DISTANCE EDUCATION ARTICLE REVIEW

Distance Education Article Review

Sarah OConnor
Regent University

DISTANCE EDUCATION ARTICLE REVIEW

Distance learning is a method that is being used increasingly in k-12 education. Three
articles that explored the topic of distance learning are Expanding Learning Opportunities for
High School Students With Distance Learning by Jan Beese, Teachers Perspectives on
Motivation in High School Distance Education by Elizabeth Murphy and Maria RodriguezManzanares, and Distance Education in the Public High School by Sheryl Brenner. These
articles provide a balance of sharing what distance education is, students perception of distance
education and teachers views on distance education. These perspectives and results described in
the articles will help me understand how to communicate students and what their possible view
of me as an online educator if I am given a hybrid or online course to teach. The insights
described in the articles mentioned above help educators understand perspectives of both
students and fellow teachers.
In Brenners article the main emphasis is in describing distance education and its benefits
for students (2007). The article points out that education needs to grow and distance learning
allows for this to happen as it enables rural students to take classes as well as students in high
school to take courses that are not available at their school. Brenner also makes plain some of the
benefits of distance learning such as giving students control of their education and time (Brenner,
2007). This information shows how distance education gives students that normally would not
have the opportunity the chance to take a wide variety of classes on their own time. Because
technology is becoming more prevalent in education I may be asked to teach an online or hybrid
course and Brenners article gives a good overview of this use of technology.
In the article Teachers Perspectives on Motivation in High School Distance Education
(Murphy and Rodriguez-Manzanares, 2009), it conveys educators experiences using distance
learning and what they found to be successful. They found that students motivation was crucial

DISTANCE EDUCATION ARTICLE REVIEW

to students succeeding in distance education courses and had advice divided into sixteen sub
categories on what they found to work to help their students learn. The biggest point made in the
case study was that teachers found that the more personal relationship they had with a student,
the more likely the individual would succeed (Murphy and Rodriguez-Manzanares, 2009). This
information is valuable to anyone in education to be able to interact with students over the
internet. Even if I am not given a class to teach online, the information found in this article will
help me communicate with students on internet forums such as blackboard and Edmodo in an
effective way.
Beese article shows the opinions of students and parents of students on a trial run of
distance education in a high school. This points out that the amount of responsibility given to the
students can be over simulating for them and that teachers are given the role of both a coach and
a mentor. In the study carried out in the article it shows that students did not feel successful in the
online course and thirteen out of twenty one students dropped the online course, and that parents
felt the course was not beneficial to their children (Beese, 2014). This data shown in the article
gives the perspective of students and their parents which helps educators alter online courses and
how they teach them.
As a future educator, these articles help explain possible obstacles and ways to overcome
them. Reading these articles helped show me both what distance education is but also how it is
viewed through educators and students eyes. This will help me in the future as technology
becomes even more present in the classroom and if I ever teach as solely an online teacher or
professor. Understanding the perception of distance learning is a crucial part of teaching it and
enable me to communicate effectively.

DISTANCE EDUCATION ARTICLE REVIEW

References
Beese, J. (2014). Expanding Learning Opportunities for High School Students With Distance
Learning. American Journal of Distance Education, 28(4), 292-306.
doi:10.1080/08923647.2014.959343
Brenner, S. (2007). Distance Education in the Public High School. Distance Learning, 4(4), 2934. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
Murphy, E., & Rodriguez-Manzanares, M. A. (2009). Teachers Perspectives on Motivation in
High School Distance Education. Journal of Distance Education, 23(3), 1-24. Retrieved
December 9, 2016.