Distance education:

challenges facing in the 21st century

Distance education

It is a field of education that focuses on teaching methods and technology with the aim of delivering teaching often an individual basis to students who are not physically present in a traditional setting such as classroom.

It is the process to create and provide assess to learning when the source of information and the learners are separated by time and distance.

Conventional education

Conventional system of education at any level - secondary or tertiary. Teaching-learning takes place in classrooms where the students and teachers meet regularlyat fixed timings.

Terms related to distance education

1. Non-formal education: it is an education free from formalities or with relaxed formalities to make education more accessible to different kinds or types of learners.

2. Correspondence education: it is a education conducted by the postal services without face to face contact between teacher and learners through written or tape-recorder materials.

3. Open education: education given to more flexible methods of study and teaching in which there is openness in access, content, delivering system and assessment.

Distance education in other terms is also known as home study, independent study, off- campus, extra mural studies, university without walls, external studies.

Mission of distance education

Providing second chance students the opportunities to pursue academic or

professional studies.

Second chance parameters

Lack of entry qualifications.

work/family/health constraints.

Remote location.Being a woman.

Current influential trends

Growing access to higher education.Globalization.Emergence of the ICT.Marketization.Blurring of boundaries between

distance education and conventional universities.

Size and mode of operation

Single modeDual modeBlended

modeConsortia

Case study on reviews including comparison of

distance education versus conventional

courses1. Final course grades and grade

distributions2. Test scores3. Student satisfaction and attitude

surveys4. Completion/retention rates

Final course grades and grade distributions

GPA of students in 18 sections where 604 students were in telecourses and 368 students were in conventional courses.(John Calhoun community college in 1993)

Another study in the same year in northern Virginia community college shown equivalent final grades but retention rates were notably higher in the conventional education(Manning)

Examination or test scores

University of California in 1998 concluded that cyber learners can learn as well as, or better than conventional regardless of characteristics such as gender, ethnicity, academic background, computer skills etc.

Completion /success rate

The study of 1993 compile that students enrolled in courses offered through the use of distance education had a successful matriculation than their campus- based counterparts by the beginning of fall term 1998.

Other comparing measures

Learning styleWriting : volume, quality,

improvement

Typical research topic

Comparison with outcomes in conventional education settings.

Perseverance in studies. Explanations of drop- out rates. Use of diverse technologies. Impact of support services. Economies of scale.

Challenges facing DE in the digital age

Finding a cost effective model.Restructuring the overall operation

and underlying premises of the industrial mode.

Utilizing the open educational resources.

Enhancing collaborative ventures.

Future development challenges of DE

Defining clear missions of each DE institution.

Enhancing academic reputation of DTUs.Finding an optimal balance between

promoting equity and assuring quality.Establishing efficient support systems.Launching closer interfaces with labor

markets.Minimizing the digital divide.Creating fruitful collaborations with other

HE institutions.

Recommendations

Should provide a diverse, highly qualified, dynamic faculty and staff.

Should develop and acquire adequate fiscal, capital resources and use them effectively.

Should provide quality support services.Should provide an instructional programs.

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BY- TALVINDER KAUR 38324