. The estimates for the number of students currently taking distance education courses for college credit range from 300,000 to 1 million. Though distance education can be costly, one of the primary reasons behind its increased popularity is undoubtedly financial because of the great number of students it can serve effectively” (Swift, 1997, 85).
The topic of distance education and distance education technology is important because it has many ramifications for education, commerce, and society in general. Conventional distance education programs have also embraced a traditional classroom and teaching approach. However, one must be careful not to confuse modern distance education with that of yesterday’s because it is much more than a mode or method of instruction or delivering instruction. Rather than merely being an extension of the traditional classroom and conventional instruction methods, distance education and the technology developed to deliver it have also revolutionized traditional instruction and learning paradigms.
Distance education technology encompasses a new form of learning and instruction rather than merely offering ways of extending the traditional classroom and instruction to those who cannot gain conventional access to them. The topic of distance education is also significant because it provides many benefits to instructors, students and even society as a whole. According to Helphinstine (1995, 47), distance education technology provides benefits to parents who cannot afford to pay for traditional education for their children, adults who wish to further their education, and educational institutions and the community at large, “Education institutions benefit from additional courses to the curriculum, increased enrollment and retention and improved quality o
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