Distance Education

Typically, distance education is associated with enrollment and study at some educational institution that provides lesson materials prepared in a sequential and logical order for study by students on their own (Willis, 1993). When each lesson is completed the student makes available, by fax, mail, or computer, the assigned work for correction, grading, comment, and subject matter guidance by qualified instructors; corrected assignments are returned to the student, an exchange which provides a personalized student-teacher relationship (Willis, 1993).

There has been a good deal of research on the effectiveness of distance education. In a comprehensive review and discussion of this research, Verduin and Clark (1991) reported that distance education is as effective as traditional instruction provided that three conditions are met. These three conditions are that: (1) the method and techno

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le-education courses and systems should focus on how students acquire information from this technology. Results indicated that instructor nonverbal behaviors and audio and video transmission also contributed significantly to learning and satisfaction. Results also showed less significant, yet positive, effects for the ability and ease of asking questions during telecourses. Results indicated clearly that direct face-to-face contact with instructors, and interpersonal rapport with other class participants, were less important than the amount of information transmitted in distance education courses in terms of student satisfaction with their learning and the distance education experience. Students' initial perceptions of distance learning were assessed by Wilson (1990) in an evaluation of the STAR SCHOOLS program in Alabama, funded through the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Twelve satellite courses produced by Oklahoma State University were delivered to 75 seniors (93% were black students and 7% were white students) at three high schools (two inner city schools and one high school in a predominantly black city adjacent to Birmingham). Courses were advanced placement and college-level academic courses delivered with one-wa
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Approximate Word count = 3923
Approximate Pages = 16 (250 words per page)

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