User:JCA0502/Distance education

During the Coronavirus Outbreak
The Coronavirus pandemic has drastically changed how schools operate, impacting almost every student in the world. A significant change that is a result of the coronavirus pandemic is the full or hybrid transition to distance learning for many schools. With the sudden spike in distance learning, teachers and administrators have had to adapt and find how distance learning can work for their students while ensuring that any changes that are made are inclusive of all students. Many schools have chosen to use online or hybrid learning models, however these models must be modified to ensure inclusion for all students. Schools must ensure that all students are able to reliably access their coursework, even if they do not have internet connectivity at home, and schools must ensure that low-income students are still able to receive healthy meals as they were prior to the pandemic.

Not only has the coronavirus pandemic resulted in a significant increase in the number of students utilizing distance learning, it has also created an awareness of the ability to improve on how distance learning is executed. Schools have had to identify how to be inclusive of all students with distance learning, how to continue to provide services such as discounted or free lunches, and increase the flexibility of student schedules. Many schools were using some form of distance learning prior to the pandemic, however as a result of being forced into heavy use of distance learning during pandemic many schools have now identified this as a key part of how they develop curriculum in the future. Schools are now identifying different ways to make distance learning as effective as possible and investing in technologies to support that so it is likely that distance learning will continue to grow even after the pandemic.

Location of Students [Editing first paragraph]
''Distance education, also called distance learning, is the education of students who may not always be physically present at a school. Traditionally, this usually involved correspondence courses wherein the student corresponded with the school via post. Today, it involves online education. A distance learning program can be completely distance learning, or a combination of distance learning and traditional classroom instruction (called hybrid or blended). Massive open online courses (MOOCs), offering large-scale interactive participation and open access through the World Wide Web or other network technologies, are recent educational modes in distance education. A number of other terms (distributed learning, e-learning, m-learning, online learning, virtual classroom etc.) are used roughly synonymously with distance education.'' Accrediting agencies have varying definitions of what qualifies a program as a distance education program, varying from 50% distance learning courses to 100% of courses must be distance learning in order for the program to be considered distance education.

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Benefits[edit]
''Distance learning can expand access to education and training for both general populace and businesses since its flexible scheduling structure lessens the effects of the many time-constraints imposed by personal responsibilities and commitments. Devolving some activities off-site alleviates institutional capacity constraints arising from the traditional demand on institutional buildings and infrastructure. Furthermore, there is the potential for increased access to more experts in the field and to other students from diverse geographical, social, cultural, economic, and experiential backgrounds. As the population at large becomes more involved in lifelong learning beyond the normal schooling age, institutions can benefit financially, and adult learning business courses may be particularly lucrative. Distance education programs can act as a catalyst for institutional innovation and are at least as effective as face-to-face learning programs, especially if the instructor is knowledgeable and skilled.''

''Distance education can also provide a broader method of communication within the realm of education. With the many tools and programs that technological advancements have to offer, communication appears to increase in distance education amongst students and their professors, as well as students and their classmates. The distance educational increase in communication, particularly communication amongst students and their classmates, is an improvement that has been made to provide distance education students with as many of the opportunities as possible as they would receive in in-person education. The improvement being made in distance education is growing in tandem with the constant technological advancements. Present-day online communication allows students to associate with accredited schools and programs throughout the world that are out of reach for in-person learning. By having the opportunity to be involved in global institutions via distance education, a diverse array of thought is presented to students through communication with their classmates. This is beneficial because students have the opportunity to "combine new opinions with their own, and develop a solid foundation for learning". It has been shown through research that "as learners become aware of the variations in interpretation and construction of meaning among a range of people [they] construct an individual meaning", which can help students become knowledgeable of a wide array of viewpoints in education. To increase the likelihood that students will build effective ties with one another during the course, instructors should use similar assignments for students across different locations to overcome the influence of co-location on relationship building.''

''The high cost of education affects students in higher education, to which distance education may be an alternative in order to provide some relief. Distance education has been a more cost-effective form of learning, and can sometimes save students a significant amount of money as opposed to traditional education. Distance education may be able to help to save students a considerable amount financially by removing the cost of transportation. In addition, distance education may be able to save students from the economic burden of high-priced course textbooks. Many textbooks are now available as electronic textbooks, known as e-textbooks, which can offer digital textbooks for a reduced price in comparison to traditional textbooks. Also, the increasing improvements in technology have resulted in many school libraries having a partnership with digital publishers that offer course materials for free, which can help students significantly with educational costs.''

''Within the class, students are able to learn in ways that traditional classrooms would not be able to provide. It is able to promote good learning experiences and therefore, allow students to obtain higher satisfaction with their online learning. For example, students can review their lessons more than once according to their needs. Students can then manipulate the coursework to fit their learning by focusing more on their weaker topics while breezing through concepts that they already have or can easily grasp. When course design and the learning environment are at their optimal conditions, distance education can lead students to higher satisfaction with their learning experiences. Studies have shown that high satisfaction correlates to increased learning. For those in a healthcare or mental health distance learning program, online-based interactions have the potential to foster deeper reflections and discussions of client issues as well as a quicker response to client issues, since supervision happens on a regular basis and is not limited to a weekly supervision meeting.<, ref name="Stebnicki, M. A. 20012" /> This also may contribute to the students feeling a greater sense of support, since they have ongoing and regular access to their instructors and other students.''

''Distance learning may enable students who are unable to attend a traditional school setting, due to disability or illness such as decreased mobility and immune system suppression, to get a good education. Children who are sick or are unable to attend classes are able to attend them in "person" through the use of robot proxies. This helps the students have experiences of the classroom and social interaction that they are unable to receive at home or the hospital, while still keeping them in a safe learning environment. Over the last few years[ when?] more students are entering safely back into the classroom thanks to the help of robots. An article from the New York Times, "A Swiveling Proxy Will Even Wear a Tutu", explains the positive impact of virtual learning in the classroom, and another that explains how even a simple, stationary telepresence robot can help. Distance education may provide equal access regardless of socioeconomic status or income, area of residence, gender, race, age, or cost per student. Applying universal design strategies to distance learning courses as they are being developed (rather than instituting accommodations for specific students on an as-needed basis) can increase the accessibility of such courses to students with a range of abilities, disabilities, learning styles, and native languages. Distance education graduates, who would never have been associated with the school under a traditional system, may donate money to the school.''

''Distance learning may also offer a final opportunity for adolescents that are no longer permitted in the general education population due to behavior disorders. Instead of these students having no other academic opportunities, they may continue their education from their homes and earn their diplomas, offering them another chance to be an integral part of society.''

''Distance learning offers individuals a unique opportunity to benefit from the expertise and resources of the best universities currently available. Students have the ability to collaborate, share, question, infer, and suggest new methods and techniques for continuous improvement of the content. The ability to complete a course at a pace that is appropriate for each individual is the most effective manner to learn given the personal demands on time and schedule. Self-paced distance learning on a mobile device, such as a smartphone, provides maximum flexibility and capability.''

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Distance learning offers students the ability to learn at their own pace. Some students may have jobs in addition to their school work and with some distance learning programs students are able to easily schedule both work and school time due to the flexibility of distance learning. Distance learning is also flexible because it provides students the opportunity to work ahead or spend additional time reviewing past lessons. This flexibility greatly supports student success by teaching critical time management skills.

Distance learning provides an opportunity for schools to lower the cost of providing education. The school is able to save money by reducing the amount of physical space that is needed to support their classes, while students are able to save money because distance learning courses are more capable of supporting learning through electronic resources or textbooks, which have a lower cost than traditional textbooks.

Criticism[edit]
Barriers to effective distance education include obstacles such as domestic distractions and unreliable technology, as well as students' program costs, adequate contact with teachers and support services, and a need for more experience.

''Some students attempt to participate in distance education without proper training with the tools needed to be successful in the program. Students must be provided with training opportunities (if needed) on each tool that is used throughout the program. The lack of advanced technology skills can lead to an unsuccessful experience. Schools have a responsibility to adopt a proactive policy for managing technology barriers. Time management skills and self-discipline in distance education is just as important as complete knowledge of the software and tools being used for learning.''

The results of a study of Washington state community college students showed that distance learning students tended to drop out more often than their traditional counterparts due to difficulties in language, time management, and study skills.

''According to Dr. Pankaj Singhm, director of Nims University, "distance learning benefits may outweigh the disadvantages for students in such a technology-driven society; however, before indulging into the use of educational technology a few more disadvantages should be considered." He describes that over multiple years, "all of the obstacles have been overcome and the world environment for distance education continues to improve." Dr. Pankaj Singhm also claims there is a debate to distance education stating, "due to a lack of direct face-to-face social interaction. However, as more people become used to personal and social interaction online (for example dating, chat rooms, shopping, or blogging), it is becoming easier for learners to both project themselves and socializes with others. This is an obstacle that has dissipated."''

''Not all courses required to complete a degree may be offered online. Health care profession programs, in particular, require some sort of patient interaction through fieldwork before a student may graduate. Studies have also shown that students pursuing a medical professional graduate degree who are participating in distance education courses, favor a face to face communication over professor-mediated chat rooms and/or independent studies. However, this is little correlation between student performance when comparing the previous different distance learning strategies.''

''There is a theoretical problem with the application of traditional teaching methods to online courses because online courses may have no upper size limit. Daniel Barwick noted that there is no evidence that large class size is always worse or that small class size is always better, although a negative link has been established between certain types of instruction in large classes and learning outcomes; he argued that higher education has not made a sufficient effort to experiment with a variety of instructional methods to determine whether the large class size is always negatively correlated with a reduction in learning outcomes. Early proponents of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC)s saw them as just the type of experiment that Barwick had pointed out was lacking in higher education, although Barwick himself has never advocated for MOOCs.''

''There may also be institutional challenges. Distance learning is new enough that it may be a challenge to gain support for these programs in a traditional brick-and-mortar academic learning environment. Furthermore, it may be more difficult for the instructor to organize and plan a distance learning program, especially since many are new programs and their organizational needs are different from a traditional learning program.''

''Additionally, though distance education offers industrial countries the opportunity to become globally informed, there are still negative sides to it. Hellman states that "These include its cost and capital intensiveness, time constraints and other pressures on instructors, the isolation of students from instructors and their peers, instructors' enormous difficulty in adequately evaluating students they never meet face-to-face, and drop-out rates far higher than in classroom-based courses."''

''A more complex challenge of distance education relates to cultural differences between students and teachers and among students. Distance programs tend to be more diverse as they could go beyond the geographical borders of regions, countries, and continents, and cross the cultural borders that may exist with respect to race, gender, and religion. That requires a proper understanding and awareness of the norms, differences, preconceptions, and potential conflicting issues.''

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Due to a lack of ability to effectively track attendance of students, many schools reduced the amount of classwork for students or are unwilling to fail a student, which has potential to lead to be a significant job gap.

Teachers are less able to adapt learning materials during a lesson to address student confusion because they are not able to see how students are reacting to what they are saying.

Educational Technology and Transactional Distance
The modern use of electronic educational technology (also called e-learning) facilitates distance learning and independent learning by the extensive use of information and communications technology (ICT), replacing traditional content delivery of postal correspondence. Instruction can be synchronous (real-time ) and asynchronous (anytime ) online communication in an interactive learning environment or virtual communities, in lieu of a physical classroom. "The focus is shifted to the education transaction in the form of a virtual community of learners sustainable across time".

Moore's Theory of Transactional Distance correlates the perceived distance between learner and teacher in an e-learning environment, describing it as a, "communication gap and psychological space of potential misunderstanding between the behaviors of both tutors and learners due to their separation". The Theory identifies three factors that influence the relationship between teachers and students: dialogue, structure, and learner autonomy. Perceived distance increases when either the dialogue between learner and teacher decreases and/or the e-learning environment becomes more structured, decreasing learner autonomy. The Theory highlights how e-learning could enhance communication between teacher and student, decreasing the perceived transactional distance felt by both parties.

Designed to close the gap in transactional distance, distance education providers use various strategies, techniques, and procedures to increase the amount of interaction between learners and teachers. These measures include more frequent face-to-face tutorials, increased use of information and communication technologies including teleconferencing and the Internet.

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