Distance Education

1. By: Elboni C. Todd

2.  In the past few years, distance education has
become a major topic in education. The question
that many educators are wandering is will distance
education have a huge impact on education.
According to Teaching and Learning at a Distance
(pg. 4) distance education has begun to enter the
mainstream.
 What is distance education? It is designed to give
people options, it gives students the opportunity to
earn a education without being in the classroom
face to face with the professor.

3.  On-line learning is another term for distance
education. While distance education is in growing
popular there are two conflicting problems at hand:
students say their first choice is not to learn at a
distance, and students are increasingly demanding
to be allowed to learn at a distance. As I read this
text many students prefer to learn in a classroom,
but want the option to learn at a distance. Distance
education is in great demand because of the fact
students want the option of having the choice of
where and when they can learn information.

4.  According to Schlosser and Simonson, 2009, pg. 1
distance education is now redefined as institution
based, formal education where the learning group
is separated, and where interactive
telecommunications systems are used to connect
learners, resources, and instructors. Many people
often wonder the effectiveness of distance teaching
and learning. Russell (1999) and Dean and
colleagues (2001) states that instruction delivered
to distant learners are in fact effective and that the
learning outcomes can be successful.

5.  IP stands for Internet Protocol, the rules used to
send information over the internet.
 The internet is a packet-switched network,
meaning that messages are divided into packets
that are disassembled and then sent to the distant
site where the packets are reassembled into the
complete message. There are four approaches to
education; same-time, same place education(ST-
SP); different-time, same-place education(DT-SP),
same-time, different-place(ST-DP) and different-
time, different place education(DT-DP).Traditional
education occurs in the same time, same place
approach.

6.  The different time, same place education approach
is defined when an individual learning occurs in a
learning center, or that multiple sections of the
same classes are offered so students can attend the
class in the same place but whatever time will be
convenient for them. Instruction can take place in
different places at the same time when
telecommunications systems are used. Satellite,
compressed video, and fiber optic systems are
increasingly used for same-time, different-place
education. This approach is also known as distance
learning.

7.  As I read this text there was some definitions that
stood out.
 Asynchronous Distance Learning which is defined
as web-based courses that is offered to learners
anywhere they have access and whenever they
choose.
 Telemedicine is simply known as medicine at a
distance. The use of electronic information and
communications technologies to provide and
support healthcare when distance separates the
participants.

8.  Remote monitoring is a long standing application
where the most common use is to access a patient’s
vital signs at a distance using telecommunications
technologies.
 Telementoring involves the development of
techniques to share the output of surgical tools
such as endoscopes and laparoscopes with distant
locations.

9.  Remote consultation is the most telemedicine
application and what most refer to when they use
the term telemedicine. It occurs when one health
care provider seeking the advice of a professional
colleague or subspecialist to help with another
patients problem.
 Malpractice liability is derived from the medical
field but for telemedicine doctors it occurs a legal
issue.

10.  As I summarize this chapter, it was very
interesting. Distance Learning is another name for
online learning. It is designed for people who have
busy lives and are older, the opportunity to get a
education at a pace that is convenient to them. I
myself, is a distant learner. Distance education
may change even restructure, but the mere fact is
its a high demand field and growing everyday.
Sustaining technologies maintain a rate of
improvement, which gives users something more
or even better that they can value.