Distance education has expanded exponentially during the 1990's, with more colleges and universities offering more distance learning and more students taking advantage of this new avenue to advanced education. According to Kiernan, over one million additional students are availing themselves of this convenient type of college study (Kiernan, 2003, p.A28). It is the purpose of this essay to evaluate this approach to higher education.
One of the possible outcomes to advanced learning is to change the student's mind about the topic. Questions regarding a subject might be answered or new questions can arise from the inquiry. Another outcome is that the student understands the relationship of new information to what is already known, building a deeper, more informed approach to one's education and life in general. Distance learning is good for both of these possible outcomes. The online learner can master new information and fit it into a larger mental schema. A third possible outcome of learning is a change in oneself in relation to peers. This type of learning is stronger in a face-to-face classroom situation with the instructor as a facilitator. Distance learning does not offer the depth of interpersonal interaction, compared to conventional classrooms. The quality of the relationship with the instructor is also somewhat less personal, although if the professor has the time, the email correspondence can somewhat compensate for decreased or complete lack of face time.
Evaluation of distance learning programs would not be very much different from evaluation of conventional learning programs. One has to askùIs the content accurate and relevant? Does the course add to the quality of the life of the individual, making them more competent in their work and their lives? Does the course cover a wide range of thinking processes, from the simple rote recall to the higher mental processes of application, synthesis, or the creati...