……………………………………..72
Table IX……………………………………………………………………73
References.…………………………….…………………………………76
In the past, distance education equated to correspondence study. Educational delivery was primarily achieved through the mail, while the student worked at home or office. Today, technology has not only dramatically altered the distance education process, but it threatens to change the entire nature of education itself-from kindergarten student to Ph.D. The more typical educational delivery modes at present include, audio, video, satellite and other computer technologies. Yet, a dualistic perspective permeates the technological transformation of education concerning the catalyst and beneficiaries of such dramatic change. Some view the changes in education delivery modes being prompted by technology as being based on affording greater access, lower costs and eradication of time and space barriers for students. As The Pennsylvania State University, a long-time advocate of distance education, includes in its definition of distance education, “…a University-wide function that enhances Penn State’s ability to serve students in all parts of the world, increasing student flexibility regarding time, place, and pace of study and creating a highly interactive, learner-centered environment that is marked by faculty expertise and increased access to information resources…not simply the addition of technology to instruction; instead, it uses technology to make possible new approaches to the teaching/learning process” (History… 3).
Time and again in the literature on distance education one encounters the fact that the driving force behind the phenomena is the new capability of education to be less costly and more accessible to students because of new technologies, “These programs are more cost-effect...