Distance Learning Education

Education can be a shared journey to increased knowledge, changed attitudes, and new competencies. However, in today's society, it need no longer be confined to the classroom. With the educational and technological resources available today, distance learning has become a viable and widely accepted form of education.

Varied names have been given to the systems and methods that comprise what has come to be known as "distance learning," e.g. electronic classrooms, technology-based education, distance education, and so forth. (see: Miller & Clouse, 1994; Mizell & Carl, 1994). However, regardless of the kind of technology that is used in this learning mode, and despite whether it is used in an educational institution or a business organization, distance learning has several characteristic and defining features. These are:

1) A great deal of distance learning involves the student (or students) working alone on assignments via the use of computer technology, and other multimedia systems. However, most distance learning programs also involve a series of face-to-face sessions (in some cases, through videoconferencing calls) where lecturers can cover in-depth any difficult areas of the subject matter given in pre-sessions reading and can consolidate and test student understanding by way of quizzes, multi-choice questions, discussion groups or by whatever method is ap

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and cable to transmit university courses. The petroleum industry uses a video network with their distance learning procedures and the health care industry utilizes an interactive video conferencing system. There are indications that the use of multimedia in association with distance learning is proliferating, mainly based on CD-ROM systems but also using interactive video. The largest market for multimedia is the training of employees via distance learning systems, with large companies using interactive packages to train new staff, but schools are also moving into the field as well, using these packages for teacher inservice training and so forth (Carrigan, 1992). There are several kinds of media and technologies available for use with distance learning. For example, a variety of videoconferencing products have been released or are in development that will provide educators with valuable tools for distance learning at significantly lower prices than current systems. AT&T and Compression Laboratories Incorporated (CLI) has introduced the $1,500 VideoPhone, a two-way video device that uses normal phone lines but that only connects with other VideoPhones. CLI also introduced the $5,000 Cameo Personal Video System for Appl
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Approximate Pages = 29 (250 words per page)

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