E. Smith- Three Interesting Facts

This article was fascinating in many ways. The three items which stood out the most for me were:

• Correspondences and Television courses as Distance Education
• The evolution of Distance Education with advancement of technology
• The constraints with Distance Education

Correspondences and Television Courses as Distance Education
I guess because I grew up in the beginning of the digital age I never realized correspondence and television courses would be considered Distance Education (DE). I remember back in 1994 taking a television course through Cuyamaca Community College. All I had to do is watch the television show twice a week for 1 hours and complete three assignments. The only time I actually saw the instructor is when we had an exam. I never really considered it to be a Distance Education course because I had to be present in class for three sessions.

The Evolution of Distance Education with Advancement of Technology
The history of change from correspondence courses to web-based courses is amazing. The changes have occurred rapidly over the last twenty years with expansion and use of computers for DE. Each new media piece has allowed more interaction. For example, early correspondence courses required a waiting period to hear from the instructor and gather feedback. The Internet has eliminated the wait time and people can immediately interact with each other by sending documents back and forth, video chatting and sharing virtual presentation. The only limit to education is now resources.

The Constraints with Distance Education
With the rapid growth of DE it is disappointing to read about the constraints on the process of learning. One of the examples discussed was timing. Although there are ways to make courses tailored to the learners, there is a time constraint placed upon them to complete the course. We are required to complete a course within a semester and this may hinder a person from gaining depth of knowledge because of the “old system”. Not everyone learns in same way or the same pace.