Distance learning

Definitions of Distance Learning / Education

Ian Mugridge: "A form of education in which there is normally a separation between teacher and learner and thus one in which other means ¯ the printed and written word, the telephone, computer conferencing or teleconferencing, for example ¯ are used to bridge the physical gap." (Mugridge 1991)

Distance learning has evolved to take advantage of new technologies. One such technology was the phone, which allowed people to speak directly. However, the major innovation in distance learning was the creation and development of the internet and the application of internet technology to online learning.

Wikipedia defines it as

Distance education, or distance learning, is a field of education that focuses on the pedagogy and andragogy, technology, and instructional systems design that aim to deliver education to students who are not physically "on site". Rather than attending courses in person, teachers and students may communicate at times of their own choosing by exchanging printed or electronic media, or through technology that allows them to communicate in real time and through other chatting ways. Distance education courses that require a physical on-site presence for any reason including the taking of examinations is considered to be a hybrid or blended course or program.

Some other definition of DL or DE:

1. Education that takes place when the instructor and student are separated by space and/or time. The gap between the two can be bridged through the ... oregonone.org/glossary.htm

2. Formal learning in which the student and the instructor are not in the same place at the same time.

www.educationusa.state.gov/study/glossary.htm

3. The formal process of distance learning. This term has traditionally implied the higher education level.

www.directdegree.com/s/DistanceEducationGlossary.shtml

4. Instructor and student are in different locations

www.monroecc.edu/depts/distlearn/glossary.htm

5. 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. www.southbank.edu.au/site/tools/glossary/A-E.asp

6. DE is used loosely of courses or units which can be studied off-campus. Such units or courses may require attendance at a weekend seminar at a designated centre or campus (see also ‘flexible delivery ’). www.prospective.utas.edu.au/glossary.php

7. Education program whereby students may complete all or part of an educational program in a geographical location apart from the institution hosting the program; the final award given is equivalent in standard and content to an award program completed on campus. www.newsweekshowcase.com/distance-learning/glossary.php

8. A planned teaching/learning experience that uses a wide spectrum of technologies to reach learners at a distance and is designed to encourage learner interaction and certification of learning. www.uwex.edu/ics/design/glossary.htm

9. Certain units of study are offered on a distance education (or external) basis; these units are identified with an X code in the Schedule of Undergraduate Units. www.international.mq.edu.au/oneworld/currentstudents/glossary

10. An educational process and system in which all or a significant proportion of the teaching is carried out by someone or something removed in space and time from the learner. ... www.unesco.org/education/educprog/lwf/doc/portfolio/definitions.htm

11. Instructional programs or courses in which the instructor and students need not be in the same physical place, particularly those relying on computers, audio, or video technology as the medium for delivery and, sometimes, for two-way interaction. nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/glossary/d.asp

12. A term used traditionally to describe the study undertaken by students studying externally to the university. www.unisa.edu.au/pas/qap/planning/glossary.asp

13. A set of teaching/learning strategies to meet the learning needs of students that are separate from the traditional classroom setting and the traditional role of faculty. In distance education the students and faculty are separate from each other. ... https://www.ncsbn.org/836.htm

14. Those wishing to focus on the learner as the center of the instructional process favor using the word learning. ... education.stateuniversity.com/pages/1917/Distance-Learning-in-Higher-Education.html

15. DL means a system of learning and teaching that is grounded in the principles of open and resource-based learning and takes place in different contexts at a multiplicity of sites, through a variety of mechanisms and learning and teaching approaches. www.dwaf.gov.za/Docs/Other/RISDP/Glossary.doc

16. Education using different media (print, radio, television, as well as, computer and telecommunication technologies) and requiring little or no physical attendance at the institution. www1.athabascau.ca/hr/recruit_orient/new_staff/general_glossary.html

17. Distance education, or distance learning, is a field of education that focuses on the pedagogy/andragogy, technology, and instructional systems ... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distance education