More About Online/ Distance Learning

What is Online/Distance Learning?

Online Learning also refers to Distance Education (DE) as one which the teacher and learner are separated from each other and involved in a two-way interaction using technology to mediate the necessary communication. Online Learning is a type of delivery method used in distance education that allows the synchronous and asynchronous exchange of resources over a communication network. It is also the system surrounding the learner and the teacher in terms of technical and social aspects.

Reference: Semiral Oncu a; Hasan Cakir (2011). Research in online learning environments: Priorities and methodologies. Computers & Education 57 (2011) 1098- 1108

Advantages of Online/Distance Learning

Online Learning offers more than ever the ability for people to continue their education. Because it is a self directed program, it may not be suitable for people that aren't highly motivated and organized. However, a number of authors have done research to show how Distance Learning is beneficial in today's context; here are some of the advantages of Distance Learning we were able to gather from the literature:

o   Students can "attend" a course anytime, from anywhere.

o   Online learning enables student-centered teaching approaches. Every student has their own way of learning that works best for them. There are actually four different types of learners, visual, auditory, read-write and kinesthetic, and each type of learner can find something that appeals to them intrinsically.

o   Course material is accessible 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Students have the ability to read and re-read lectures, discussions, explanations and comments.

o   It increases student interaction and the diversity of opinion, because everyone gets a say, not just the most talkative.

o   Using the internet to attend class, research information and communicate with other students teaches skills in using technologies that will be critical to workers in the 21st century who work with colleagues globally and across time zones.

o   Participating online is much less intimidating than participating "in the classroom." Anonymity provides students a level playing field undisturbed by bias caused by seating arrangement, gender, race and age.

o   The online environment makes instructors more approachable. Students can talk openly with their teachers through online chats, email and in newsgroup discussions, without waiting for office hours that may not be convenient.

o   Online classrooms also facilitate team learning by providing chatrooms and newsgroups for meetings and joint work.

Drawbacks of Online Learning

Although many researchers have shown the advantages of the Distance Learning, some of them remain very reluctant to this approach for the reasons below:

o   Limited Instructor Interaction. Even though students can interact with the educator using messenger or Skype to chat in real-time, these conversations have to be scheduled and are usually few and far between compared to the daily face to face interactions students can have in a traditional classroom.

o   Limited Social Interaction. Since students are not in a traditional classroom, they might miss having face time with other students. This can deprive them of important networking opportunities for their future career, as well as basic social interaction.

o   Tech-Savvy Required. Most online courses require being familiar with some key online learning tools.Students will have to navigate potentially complex virtual learning environments such as Blackboard. For savvy computer users, this is no problem, but for less savvy students, this can present significant frustration and impediment to completing their coursework.

Online/Distance Learning Tools

Blending F2F with Technology - An Educator's Guide

What is Online/Distance Learning?

Advantages of Online/Distance Learning

Drawbacks of Online Learning

Online/Distance Learning Tools