Through distance education, it is now possible to provide a high quality education for students who cannot physically attend courses. This type of instruction, also called distance learning, uses correspondence or other modern technology to deliver course materials.
For students in far-off places, this is a key development. In 1946 the University of South Africa became one of the oldest universities based on this mode of instruction.
That's not the start of distance education, however. It was actually begun well before this. In 1840, Sir Issac Pitman, who also invented shorthand, started the idea. He recommended that courses be offered through the mail. This was a sufficiently intriguing idea that in the early 1900s the University of Chicago started the first department for correspondence courses. The idea caught on, and several other universities established correspondence departments of their own.
There were only a few countries where distance learning was a major component of the educational system, however, until 1969. This changed when the United Kingdom started the Open University. This changed distance education radically and encouraged other similar universities to be founded.
Today, it is easier than ever to deliver quality instruction across great distances. We have modern technology, and the Internet. Educational materials can be delivered via email, broadcast, CD-ROM, podcast, audiotape, online message board, and video conferencing to name just some of the possible media.
There are other uses for instructional technology that have been incorporated into more traditional classroom settings as well. A teacher in one classroom can deliver a lecture to that room and to other classrooms as well via videoconferencing. This is referred to as teaching in a virtual classroom. Students can also communicate with an instructor and fellow students via email or even instant message, register online for courses, download video materials, receive syllabi and other course materials online, and so on.
Today, most of the universities in the United States have at least some courses that are offered via distance learning. You can find distance learning in the nonprofit and for-profit sectors as well.
It is still quite expensive to offer distance learning, however. Still, with technology becoming more reasonable over time, the possibilities for this type of learning to be used more widely are quite good.
For students in far-off places, this is a key development. In 1946 the University of South Africa became one of the oldest universities based on this mode of instruction.
That's not the start of distance education, however. It was actually begun well before this. In 1840, Sir Issac Pitman, who also invented shorthand, started the idea. He recommended that courses be offered through the mail. This was a sufficiently intriguing idea that in the early 1900s the University of Chicago started the first department for correspondence courses. The idea caught on, and several other universities established correspondence departments of their own.
There were only a few countries where distance learning was a major component of the educational system, however, until 1969. This changed when the United Kingdom started the Open University. This changed distance education radically and encouraged other similar universities to be founded.
Today, it is easier than ever to deliver quality instruction across great distances. We have modern technology, and the Internet. Educational materials can be delivered via email, broadcast, CD-ROM, podcast, audiotape, online message board, and video conferencing to name just some of the possible media.
There are other uses for instructional technology that have been incorporated into more traditional classroom settings as well. A teacher in one classroom can deliver a lecture to that room and to other classrooms as well via videoconferencing. This is referred to as teaching in a virtual classroom. Students can also communicate with an instructor and fellow students via email or even instant message, register online for courses, download video materials, receive syllabi and other course materials online, and so on.
Today, most of the universities in the United States have at least some courses that are offered via distance learning. You can find distance learning in the nonprofit and for-profit sectors as well.
It is still quite expensive to offer distance learning, however. Still, with technology becoming more reasonable over time, the possibilities for this type of learning to be used more widely are quite good.
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