The Concepts and Methods of

Distance Education
Code# 0842
Unit# 1
Introduction to Distance
Education
Dr. Mahek Arshad
mehakrshd@gmail.com
Content
 Introduction
 Definition
 Scope of distance education
 Categories of distance education
 Types of distance education
 Strengths of distance education
 Weaknesses of distance education
 Theoretical framework of distance education
Introduction
 Distance learning started in 1840 when Sir Isaac Pitman taught shorthand to his
students via correspondence. Correspondence courses are when instruction and
assignments are sent back and forth between teacher and student through
traditional mail.
 Distance learning, also called distance education, e-learning, and online 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.
 Distance education, structured learning in which the student and instructor are

separated by time and place, is currently the fastest growing form of domestic and
international education. What was once considered a special form of education
using non-traditional delivery systems is now becoming an important concept in
mainstream education.
 Due to the rapid development of technology, courses using a variety of media are

being delivered to students in various locations in an effort to serve the educational

needs of growing populations. In many cases, developments in technology allow
distance education programs to provide specialized courses to students in remote
geographic areas with increasing interactivity between student and teacher.
Definition
 Distance Education is defined as
instruction between a teacher and
students when they are separated by
physical distance and communication is
accomplished by one or more
technological media
 Education and training imparted at a
distance through communication media:
books, radio, TV, telephone,
correspondence, computer or video.
 A mode of education in which students
enrolled in a course do not attend the
institution, but study off-campus and may
submit assignments by mail or email
Scope of Distance Education
Due to growing demand of distance education, many educational institutions has
started distance learning courses.
 Flexibility: The system is flexible in regard to timing, pace, place, age, admission

criteria etc. Learners who are not able to continue their education through
traditional system due to socio-economic or cultural reason are getting
opportunities here. Flexibility in age and qualification to enter in desired academic
programs makes the system learners friendly
 Cost Effective: Expenditure for higher education in the traditional system, both

for public and private institutes, is very high. Education through distance mode is
able to help the students by saving considerable amount of money by removing
the cost of transportation and high-priced printed text books of high cost.
 Learning satisfaction: Unlike traditional system, students of distance education

system attend online classes individually without any disturbance from others.
When difficulties arise students review their lessons more than once and solve the
problem.
 Equal access: In the traditional system, students of a certain age group are

allowed. Distance education may provide equal access irrespective of

socioeconomic status, gender, race, age, or cost per student.
Categories of Distance Education
Distance education falls into two main
categories:
1. Synchronous learning
2. Asynchronous learning
Synchronous learning
 Synchronous means “at the same time.” It
refers to a method of education delivery
that happens in real time. It requires live
communication online. It uses
technology, such as teleconferencing, to
achieve this.

 Synchronous learning proves less flexible

than other forms of distance learning.
After all, students must meet with their
instructor and sometimes their
classmates at pre-scheduled times.

 This approach limits the student’s ability

to learn at their own pace. It may
frustrate some learners who crave the
freedom of the asynchronous classroom.
Asynchronous learning
 Students receive clusters of weekly deadlines.
They have the freedom to work at their own
speed.

 Asynchronous distance learning comes with

more opportunities for student interaction.

 Students can access course content beyond the

scheduled meeting or class time and interact
through online conversations, quizzes, or
video comments on their own schedule.

 Both faculty and students benefit from the

flexibility of asynchronous learning as it allows
them to create and consume content when it’s
convenient for them.
Types of Distance Education
 Video conferencing: is traditionally a meeting where two or
more participants use video to connect over the internet. This is
a form of synchronous communication. Using tools like Zoom,
Blackboard Collaborate, Adobe Connect, or other conferencing
software, teachers and students interact together no matter
where they are located. Video conferencing enhances student-
instructor interactions and provides a structure for lesson
planning.
 Hybrid distance education: combines synchronous and
asynchronous methods. Students receive deadlines to complete
assignments and exams. Then, they work at their own pace.
They submit assignments through online forums. They maintain
contact with their instructor. Yet, they work at their own pace.
As students progress, they gain access to new modules.
 Open schedule online courses: Under the asynchronous category,
you’ll find open schedule online instruction. Such courses provide
students with plenty of freedom. To complete coursework,
students receive: Online textbook(s), Bulletin boards, Email.
Students are given a set of deadlines. Then, the instructor lets
them schedule at their own pace. Students who value learning
independently excel with this format. It requires significant self-
discipline and motivation, though. Students who lack the right
skill set may find this approach daunting. They may feel
overwhelmed by the presentation of the material. They may lack
the motivation to work through the course in an effective way.
 Fixed-time online courses: Students log in to the learning site at
designated times. They must complete pre-scheduled classroom
activities at a specific pace. These activities often include chats
and discussion forums. Fixed-time online courses encourage
student interaction. But there’s little room for self-pacing
Strengths of Distance Education
 Flexibility
 Easy Access
 Money and time savings
 Adaptability and freedom
 Earning while learning
Weaknesses of Distance Education
 Lack of Social Interaction
 High Chances of Distraction
 Complicated Technology
 Questionable Credibility of Online Degrees
Theoretical Framework of Distance
Education
Three Learning Theories
 Behaviorism: As founded in the early decades of the

twenties century (Watson, 1924), behaviourism assumes

three fundamental beliefs about learning:
1. learning should focus on observable behaviour rather than
internal mental processes,
2. the environment in which learner is surrounded influences
the learner's learning behaviour, and
3. learning is maximized when contiguity (close in time
between learning events) and reinforcement play central
roles during the course of individual learning process.

From these perspectives, behavioural theorists define learning

as a matter of the acquisition of new behaviour.
 Cognitivism: is concerned about internal mental states for learning
to occur. Cognitive theorists view learning as involving the
acquisition or reorganization of the cognitive structures through
which humans process and store information.

 Constructivism: Constructivists' view assumes learners interpret

and construct their surrounding reality based upon their perceptions
of experiences. From this assumption, individual's knowledge is a
function of one's prior experiences, mental structures, and beliefs
that are used to interpret objects and events .
 Constructivism claims that the purpose of learning is to construct
individual's own meaning from a learning, but not just memorize
the right answers. Therefore, within constructivists orientation, the
learning process has taken through understanding concepts, not
isolated facts.
Influence of Learning Theories
on Distance Education
 The Influence of Behaviourism on Distance Learning
 Apply behavioural taxonomy of learning objectives in developing learning content and

activities for distance learning. Bloom and his colleagues' taxonomy is a good example
to compose the content of distance learning in different levels. The taxonomy includes
six levels of learning objectives:
1. Knowledge

2. Comprehension

3. Application

4. Analysis

5. Synthesis

6. Evaluation

 Another good example of instructional model using the behavioral orientation is

developing instructional sequencing based on the following steps:
1. Prepare units.

2. Develop behavioural objectives.

3. Plan instructional sequences.

4. Include pre-test and post-test for each unit.

5. Materials continually evaluated and upgraded to meet behavioural objectives.

The Influence of Cognitivism on
Distance Learning
 With greater concern on the internal mental processes of
human mind, the instructional approach would use such
processes of cognitive learning (knowledge coding and
representation, information storage and retrieval) in developing
learning content and sequencing learning activities (analyse a
task, break it down into smaller steps or chunks, and use that
information to develop instruction). Other examples of
instructional principles using cognitivist orientation include:
1. Advance organizers

2. Mnemonic devices

3. Metaphors

4. Chunking into meaningful parts

5. Careful organization of instructional materials from simple to

complex
The Influence of Constructivism on
Distance Learning
 Constructivism promotes a more open-ended learning experience
where the methods and results of learning are not easily
measured and may not be the same for individual learner. Some
instructional examples using principles of constructivism include:
1. Provide multiple representations of reality

2. Present authentic tasks - contextualize

3. Provide real-world, case-based learning environments (not

predetermined instructional sequences)
4. Foster reflective practice

5. Enable context- and content-dependent knowledge construction

6. Support collaborative construction of knowledge through social

negotiation, not competition among learners for recognition
Theories of Distance Education
 Simonson in 2015 has provided a theory on which to centre this expanding field of
distance education. Simonson theorized that if distance learning is to be successful,
then the learning must be equivalent to learning in a traditional setting Learning will
always vary by individuals, whether they are physically sitting next to each other, or
communicating solely through the internet because everyone integrates new
knowledge into their existing schema differently. Simonson’s basic premise is that if
the learning experiences are not identical, because that is not possible for unique
humans, but instead equivalent, then a student should be able to transfer from a
distance learning course midway into a traditional course with little if any lacking
knowledge. But, this does not mean that the two courses themselves should be
identical. Instead, the distance course needs to be specially designed so that the
learning experience is in fact equivalent to the traditional course. For example, a
distance learning course for an elementary child should designed differently from
the traditional version, taking the child’s mental development level and technical
skills into consideration. “Identical traditional and distance-delivered courses are not
likely to be effective, rather, a variety of equivalent instructional approaches should
be provided for students – local and distant – to learn from” . So in other words,
thoughtfully design the courses so that the learning outcome is the same, whether
through distance or traditional courses.
 Michael Moore’s theory of distance education –This theory is
composed of two parts, the two-way communication between
the two physically separated parties and how responsive the
program is to the individual needs of the learner. Simonson’s
equivalence theory is similar to the second part of Moore’s
theory, in how they both agree that the instructional approach
should be tailored to the needs of the learner. A distance
course will need to have a different design than a traditional
classroom to meet the needs of the learner for equivalent
learning outcomes. A classroom has frequent interaction
between classmates and the instructor, while a distance
learning course requires more autonomy on the student’s part.
This means that the distance course needs to be designed with
this consideration in mind for equivalency learning.
Learners Discussion Topics
 Your own definition of distance education as
per your understanding.
 Which one category (synchronous or

asynchronous) of learning in distance

education is more appealing for you? And
why?
References
 https://www.britannica.com/topic/distance-l
earning
 https://unevoc.unesco.org/home/TVETipedia
+Glossary/filt=all/id=153
 http://ignited.in/I/a/221604
 https://www.ou.edu/limclass/5413/wk03/
mod03a.htm