RESEARCH PAPER TEMPLATE

North American University

Education Department

EDUC 5324: INTEGRATING TECHNOLOGY INTO EDUCATION (Fall.2-2023)

Name:Mehmet Gokceoglu Date: 11/19/2023

Topic Selected: What does the research say about advantages and disadvantages
of distance education?

1. LITERATURE REVIEW: (250 Words)

What does the literature/research say about this issue/topic? By using NAU
Library or Online Search engines, conduct a literature review.
 You need to include 5 different sources (book, journal article, web article
etc.) in your review. Try to use current sources as much as possible.
 You need to summarize and synthesize your sources by discussing a
common theme or issue.
 You don't need to critique your sources
 You don't need to evaluate your sources (if the sources are trustworthy,
weather the author has a bias or not)
 You need to provide background information such as history and
definitions

Literature Review:
Distance education is a type of education that students are not present physically at a
school. The definition of the distance learning is “Distance learning, form of education in
which the main elements include physical separation of teachers and students during
instruction and the use of various technologies to facilitate student-teacher and student-
student communication.” (Simonson, 2016)

After Covid-19, distance learning became more popular and more accessible for many
people. But distance learning is not a new concept. Matthews explain this process as
following. “Distance education can be traced to the invention of mail-based
correspondence courses by Sir Isaac Pitman in 1840. The founding of United Kingdom's
Open University (OU) in 1969 marked a significant development of the second phase of
distance learning, with its mixed-media approach to teaching. At roughly the same time
as the founding of the OU, satellites were moving into commercial use. PEACENET in
the Pacific Basin was founded in 1971 and used in the first ever application of satellites
in distance education. Distance education employs media in many forms and to varying
extents. It includes mail, facsimile, radio, television, satellite broadcasts, videotapes,
teleconferencing and, most recently, the Internet.” ( Matthews, 1999)

Simonson explains the increasing of popularity of distance learning. “Distance learning

traditionally has focused on nontraditional students, such as full-time workers, military
personnel, and nonresidents or individuals in remote regions who are unable to attend
classroom lectures. However, distance learning has become an established part of the
educational world, with trends pointing to ongoing growth. In U.S. higher education
alone, more than 5.6 million university students were enrolled in at least one online
course in the autumn of 2009, up from 1.6 million in 2002.” (Simonson, 2016)

There are many advantages and disadvantages of distance education.

Advantages of distance education.

There are many advantages of distance education. Matthews summarizes these

advantages as following.
“There are benefits and drawbacks to offering distance education. Benefits to the
student include: increased access to higher education (particularly for the nontraditional
student), flexible scheduling of personal time, convenient location, individualized
attention by the instructor, less travel, and increased time to think about, and respond to
(via e-mail or discussion boards), questions posed by the instructor.” ( Matthews, 1999)

Flexibility:
Oliveira explains the flexibility of distance education that many students look for distance
education courses just because they cannot or do not want to expose themselves to the
rigidity required in physical classroom courses. In this sense, the flexibility offered by
distance mode is configured as a great advantage. ( Oliveira 2018)

Joubert (2023) says about that not many people have the ability to take time off from
work to commit to a full-time graduate program, and others have jobs that require
frequent travel. For those who still need to juggle working and going back to school, the
flexibility of an asynchronous online program provides the opportunity to learn while still
working and growing professionally. (Joubert 2023)

Online classes are efficient

Thompson (2023) states that one of the biggest pluses of online classes is that they
grant instructors more efficient methods of delivering teaching material that the
traditional classroom setting doesn’t provide. Since online classes require the use of
video software to connect instructors and learners, one can use a myriad of modern
visual instructional materials to teach students. These range from PowerPoint
presentations and decks to other types of learning material such as videos, PDFs, and
even non-traditional types of learning material like podcasts. Utilizing such diverse types
of teaching material that emphasize visual learning equips instructors with even more
ways to improve the efficiency of their teaching skills. (Thompson 2023)

Content availability:
According to Oliveira (2018), in most courses offered on site, the student attends
classes that are offered only once and must write down and find other means for the
given content is saved for future reference. In classes taught at distance, however, the
content (usually recorded on video and audio) is available to the student for this review
whenever necessary; ( Oliveira 2018)

Low cost:
Oliveira (2018) states that you can find on the market courses offers in various levels
of education with much lower prices compared to the prices of traditional classroom
courses; ( Oliveira 2018)

According to Perveen (2023); another advantage of online learning is reduced financial

costs. Education can be expensive if the students have to travel to other cities, stations,
or countries. But online learning eliminates the cost points of student transportation,
student meals, and most importantly, real estate. Additionally, all the course or study
materials are available online, thus creating a paperless learning environment that is
more afford-able while also being beneficial to the environment. (Perveen, 2023)

Better Time Management:

According to Joubert, juggling work, family, and school isn’t an easy thing to do.
Because there are no set classroom times within an asynchronous online degree
program, and students have the flexibility to create their own schedules, it’s up to the
student to proactively reach out to faculty, complete assignments on time, and plan
ahead. (Joubert 2023)

Online classes keep you on a regular schedule of making and meeting deadlines,
allowing you to practice managing your time and staying productive week-to-week.
Employers often appreciate the time management skills needed to complete an online
degree program and view these skills as a valuable asset in potential employees.
(Joubert 2023)

According to Oliveira, studying at home at any time you want: one of the factors that
made the distance learning courses a success is exactly the fact that many students
belonging to the target audience are already in the labor market and seeking
thereof to qualify for new requirements. Accordingly, the lack of rigidity concerning time
and study site may also characterize an advantage of the distance education for
students from the standpoint. ( Oliveira 2018)

A Broader, Global Perspective

Students in online programs come from across the U.S. and all over the world. Because
of the ability to log on from any location, class discussions feature a broader range of
perspectives, helping you enhance your own cross-cultural understanding. This means
that online students not only have the opportunity to network with people from around
the globe, but can also broaden their perspectives and become more culturally aware.
(Joubert 2023)

Demonstrated Self-Motivation
By successfully earning your master’s degree online, you’re demonstrating that you can
practice time management and are self-motivated, which are valuable skills employers
want to see in new hires. By succeeding in earning an online degree, you prove that you
can tackle multiple tasks, set priorities, and adapt to changing work conditions. (Joubert
2023)

Disadvantages of distance education.

Although there are many advantageous of the distance education, there are also some
disadvantages.

You must have discipline:

Oliveira states that excessive flexibility can also represent a disadvantage to students
who do not have enough discipline to be able to meet the required activities without the
presence of a teacher to guide and supervise often; ( Oliveira 2018)

According to Thompson, piggybacking off the sentiment above, being part of a

community and physically attending classes increases accountability. If a student does
not feel they are getting the proper guidance, they may not have enough self-discipline
to fully engage in the lessons themselves. Moving to virtual, real-time classes instead of
just online courses gives a greater sense of accountability. Tools like live quizzes help
assess understanding in real-time, while breakout rooms encourage group activity.
These tools help foster accountability and keep students engaged. (Thompson 2023)

Do not take the teacher to take questions at the very moment they arise:
In regular classes, students can have the opportunity to ask questions in the very
moment they arise, while in distance courses that does not happen so easily, causing
the student to save his questions for some future time meeting or another contact with
tutors and teachers. ( Oliveira 2018)

Online learning may create a sense of isolation

According to Thompson (2023), everyone learns in their own manner. Some students
possess the ability to work independently, while others find comfort in their community
on campus with easy access to professors or their fellow students. The good news is
online virtual classroom platforms have been working to bridge those gaps, recreating
the feeling of community in the virtual space by producing a series of tools that
encourage learners to actively participate in live sessions. Online education must
support the social aspect of learning to match the effectiveness of traditional classes.
(Thompson 2023)

Online learning means more screen-time

It’s pretty much inevitable in 2022, but darn do we spend a frightening amount of time in
front of screens. Online learning sadly contributes to this problem. Excessive screen-
time can lead to all sorts of physical ailments like poor posture or headaches. But it can
also be a personal issue to students who struggle with learning from or focusing on
screens. Especially since the internet is geared to distract students with social media
and entertainment just a click away from the learning material. The better online learning
platforms and software out there have all kinds of tools and features to help students
staying attentive and engaged. (Thompson 2023)

Perveen (2023) states those in online classes, students have no face-to-face interaction
with their fellows; therefore, they will not have competitors to compete and complete the
lectures or assignments while working on any of these. Hence, it can lead them to leave
the course incomplete. It is more likely that they will withdraw from the online courses as
compared to traditional on-campus courses. (Perveen, 2023)
2. REFLECTION: (250 Words)
 What is your personal opinion on this issue? Do you agree with the
research? If you agree or disagree, please explain why?
 Provide examples/experiences regarding this issue from school
perspective or If you are not working in a school, from your profession. Be
specific with your examples. You can mention software/hardware names,
specific methods that you plan to use, etc.
 How would you implement this research in your career? (At least 1
paragraph)

Reflection:
In these days, distance education has become very popular. And it will be a part of our
lives in the future. Despite the disadvantages of distance learning as mentioned before,
I think the number of students and families who prefer online education will increase in
the future.

COVID-19 showed everybody that online education is possible and there are many
advantages for students and families. After COVID-19, we saw that some students and
families preferred to continue online education. But mostly both our parents and
guardians in the household are working. This means that their kids are alone at home
during online education. These students can be easily distracted when there are no
parents at home to motivate and encourage them to stay focused on their lessons. This
is a very important problem of distance learning.

Another problem is that many parents complained that the other hardest challenge is the
students miss their friends, teachers, and being social. Many students who were getting
long-term distance learning had a hard time to get adaptation with the classroom
atmosphere and school rules.

In conclusion, there are some advantages and disadvantages of distance learning.

I can say the advantages of distance learning are more than the disadvantages.
Especially, distance learning is more accurate for students who do not need parental
care or students who have self-discipline. Distance learning will be more implemented
and successful in high school, undergraduate, and graduate-level education.
However, the implementation of distance learning in primary and middle schools is hard
because of the disadvantages I listed above.

3. REFERENCES:
 Cite at least 5 References in APA.
 You may use http://www.citationmachine.net/apa/cite-a-journal for citing
your sources in APA style.
References:
Berg, G., & Simonson, M. (2016, November 07). Distance learning. Retrieved Nov
17, from
https://www.britannica.com/topic/distance-learning/Modern-distance-learning

Joubert S. (August 28, 2023) The Benefits of Online Learning: 8 Advantages of

Online Degrees Retrieved from
https://graduate.northeastern.edu/resources/benefits-of-online-learning/

Matthews D. (Sept. 1999) The Origins of Distance Education and its use in the
United States Retrieved from T H E Journal (Technological Horizons In
Education)(Vol. 27, Issue 2) by Gale General One File

Oliveira M., Penedo A. Pereira V. (2018) Distance education: advantages and

disadvantages of the point of view of education and society Retrieved from
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/328032761_Distance_education_advanta
ges_and_disadvantages_of_the_point_of_view_of_education_and_society

Perveen H. Z., Naseer S. (July 2023) Perspective Chapter: Advantages and

Disadvantages of Online Learning Courses Retrieved from
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/372140066_Perspective_Chapter_Advan
tages_and_Disadvantages_of_Online_Learning_Courses

Thompson S. (July 20th, 2023) Top 5 advantages and disadvantages of online

classes for higher education [updated 2023] Retrieved from
https://corp.kaltura.com/blog/advantages-disadvantages-online-classes/