User:John Renier Carrillo/sandbox

Distance Learning If we dissect this compound word, we will get distance and learning. Defining them separately tells us that distance is the amount of space between two points. Learning is then defined as the knowledge or skill acquired by instruction or study. Combining them gives us the definition of acquiring knowledge within the bounds of two points that are far from each other. Distance learning is defined as the mode of delivering education and instruction to students who are not physically present in a traditional setting such as classroom. This provides access to learning when the source of information and the learners are separated by time or distance or both. Under the distance learning is the electronic learning or e-learning. It is a general term used to coin internet-based network computer-enhanced learning. When a learner interacts with the distance learning environment, it is called augmented learning. This type of learning adapts the needs of the individuals as it is context-driven which can result to dynamically tailored environment of instruction and learning for the student. With the help of media, distance learning has offered more learning experience than the traditional ones.

Etymology Distance is rooted from the Latin distantia that meant remoteness. It was derived from the word distō which meant “I stand apart; I am separate, distant, or different”. This can be further dissected into two parts that is di-/ dis- which meant apart and stō that meant “I stand’. Learning is rooted from the Old English leornian which means to get knowledge, be cultivated, study, read, and think about.

Other definitions The California Distance Learning Project (CDLP) defines distance learning as follows. "Distance Learning (DL) is an instructional delivery system that connects learners with educational resources. DL provides educational access to learners not enrolled in educational institutions and can augment the learning opportunities of current students. The implementation of DL is a process that uses available resources and will evolve to incorporate emerging technologies." The United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA) defines distance learning as a generic, all-inclusive term used to refer to the physical separation of teachers and learners. (2) [Distance Education, Distance Learning, Distributed Learning] the application of information technology (and infrastructure) to educational and student-related activities linking teachers and students in differing places. (3) The student and instructor are physically separated by any distance. All communications are mediated by some type of electronic means in real or delayed time. Location is of no significance. (4) The organizational framework and process of providing instruction at a distance. Distance education takes place when a teacher and student(s) are physically separated, and technology (i.e., audio, video, and computers, print) is used to bridge the instructional gap. (5) The organizational framework and process of providing instruction at a distance. Distance education takes place when a teacher and student(s) are physically separated, and technology (i.e., voice, video, data, or print) is used to bridge the instructional gap.

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) defines distance learning as a tool for knowledge and not an end in itself. The considerations one must see when designing distance learning are the learning goal, target audience, technical environment, and starting level of knowledge.

In the Philippines, according to the Commission on Higher Education [CHED] Policy on Transnational Education Memo No.6 s2003, distance learning or distance education is “a mode of educational delivery whereby teacher and learner are separated in space and time and instruction is delivered through specially designed materials and methods and is supported by organizational and administrative structures and arrangements. Distance education may utilize various types and combinations of print- and non-print-based learning methods. Face-to-face tutorials or virtual discussion groups may support learning.”

Based from the study conducted by Soekartawi, Anung Haryono and Felix Librero on distance education in Southeast Asian nations, they have written: There have been various definitions of distance education that have appeared in the literature since 1967. To make sense out of these definitions, which are not really different from one another, Keegan (1986) attempted, quite successfully, to analyze such definitions and identified six basic features of what distance education constitutes. These features are as follows: 1. The learner is separate from the teacher most of the study time. Usually, this refers to the fact that learner and teacher do not meet face-to-face in a classroom situation. 2. The distance learning system is influenced by an educational institution. This simply means that there is an educational institution that usually is responsible for implementing a distance education program. 3. There is extensive use of what may be referred to as technical media, such as audio and videotapes, CD-ROMs, print, and other media, as channels for the presentation of learning material. The greater bulk of the learning material is presented in various media formats so that learners may more easily access them. 4. There is two-way communication between learner and the organization that serves as education provider. The institution offering the distance education program makes it a point to provide the necessary channels for two-way communication to facilitate interaction between learner and teacher. 5. There is always the possibility of occasional face-to-face interaction between learner and teacher. This is may be achieved by purposely designing the delivery system to include face-to-face meetings between learner and teacher, and among learners. These meetings are invariably referred to as tutorial sessions. 6. In distance education, the learner is highly dependent on prepared learning packages, which serve as the "professor." In the preparation of these learning materials, various experts are involved. For example, there is a module writer, a reader, an instructional designer, and an editor. These individuals may work either individually or as a team, and each performs his/her tasks either in sequence or simultaneously. This is what is normally referred to as the application of an "industrial' model, borrowing from the assembly line approach to the production of educational materials.

REFERENCES

What Is Distance Learning? From: www.cdlponline.org Link: http://www.cdlponline.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=whatis

DL Glossary of Terms. From: www.usdla.org Link: http://www.usdla.org/assets/pdf_files/Glossary_Distance.pdf

Flores-Jimenez, A. 2011. Distance Learning As a Tool. From: www.wipo.int Link: http://www.wipo.int/edocs/mdocs/academy/en/wipo_acad_wk_ge_11/wipo_acad_wk_ge_11_ref_g2.pdf

Hermosa, N & Anday, A. 2008. Distance Learning and Digital Libraries: The UP Open University Experience. From: www.journals.upd.edu.ph Link: http://www.seameo-journal.com/journal/index.php/education/article/viewFile/39/38

Soekartawi, Haryono, A. & Librero, F. 2002. Greater Learning Opportunities Through Distance Education: Experiences in Indonesia and the Philippines. From: www.seameo-journal.com Link: http://www.seameo-journal.com/journal/index.php/education/article/viewFile/39/38

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/distance

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/learning

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Learning

http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=learn

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distance_education