North American University

Education Department

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

Name: Imas Walijah Date: November 20, 2023

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

Literature Review:

Distance education is the kind of education in which students may not always be
physically present at a school. They can learn, study, and qualify in their chosen subject
online without having to attend a school building, an exam center, or university campus.
While distance education has recently rising, particularly due to the new
technologies available, it is actually originated in mid -18th century, aimed to
compensate the insufficiency of traditional education. It rapidly developed from
correspondence courses and tapes to the release of personal computers and the uses of
computer-based multimedia applications.

In the context of modern realities, distance learning is spreading faster and faster in all
areas of our life, in particular in the educational process. However, it cannot completely
replace traditional learning. There is no doubt that distance learning has a numerous
advantages and disadvantages.

Among the advantages brought by distance education to students are:

 Students can study from anywhere and anytime. It offers flexibility where students
can set their learning schedule as per their convenience without following a regular
schedule of learning as in traditional ways.
 Learning content is available to the student for this review whenever necessary.
 It saves time where there is less time for transportation and getting to back to back
classes on time especially for students with movement difficulties.
 Students can still go on earning their livelihood along with improving their
qualification as distance learning will accommodate both learning as well as earning.
 Distance learning is generally low cost. Students can find various levels of education
with much lower prices compared to the prices of traditional classroom courses.
 It opens a door to learn new technology skills. It is great opportunities for access to
modern electronic resources and various digital tools.
 For the educational institution, they do not need to provide a physical space.

Apart from the advantages, distance education has also some disadvantages, such as:
 High chances of distraction. That’s why students must have discipline, and it is not a
good idea for students who tend to procrastinate and can’t stick to deadlines.
 Overdependence on technology. In case of any software or hardware malfunction,
the class session will be interrupted.
 The complicated nature of the technology used in distance learning only limits online
education to students who are computer and tech savvy.
 Difficulty staying in contact with instructors. Though students can send an email
when they have questions or trouble with assignments, it’s definitely not going to get
them the immediate response they would get if they were able to sit down with their
instructor.
 Lack of communication interaction, as students feel lonely while attending classes,
teachers can’t interact and can’t observe if the learning objective was met. Students
might miss the chance to learn from other students.
 Some employers prefer a degree from a regular college over online or distance