Distance education is a type of formal learning in which the student
and the instructor are not in the same place at the same time. It
may be synchronous or asynchronous. If distance education is
synchronous, instruction is given at a particular time and, usually,
at specific locations. If distance education is asynchronous,
instruction can be received by students wherever and whenever they
desire, as long as they have access to the Internet or, in the case
of correspondence education, to the mail.
Distance education can be accomplished through one or more of the
following means:
mail and post offices;
telephones and voicemail;
one-way or interactive radio, television, satellite, audio, or video
transmission;
video cassette recorders (VCRs) or CD-ROMs;
electronic mail (e-mail) and the Internet (e.g., Web-based
learning).
Many distance education programs also require occasional attendance
by the student on the campus of the college or university offering
the program. |
