What are the Advantages of Distance Learning?

First, let's define Distance Learning, and then we'll look at some of the core aspects of the approach that make it advantageous in a diverse range of situations.

The United States Department of Education defines Distance Learning as: "the transmission of educational or instructional programming to geographically dispersed individuals and groups via telecommunications." This broad definition essentially includes advanced learning methods also referred to as Online Distance Learning, Correspondence Learning, and Educational Technology, many among others. Essentially, Distance Learning largely removes the physical classroom from the educational process, and employs in its stead alternatives to that traditional dynamic.

Understandably, most educational institutions now focus Distance Learning resources on what's commonly referred to as Online Distance Education. As Internet connectivity becomes more widespread and affordable, even in more remote areas, the U.S. Department of Education, as well as many individual state and local education departments, are focusing on Internet-mediated Distance Learning programs. The term, however, could also include educational video scenarios, mail correspondence, or virtually any situation in which face-to-face interaction between the educator and student do not occur in a classroom environment or on as regular a basis. The advantages of this growing trend are many; much research suggests that-if implemented effectively and responsibly - Distance Learning can help to:

• Increase educational options for students of diverse backgrounds, income levels, competencies, and proximities to learning institutions.
• Promote resourcefulness in both students and teachers in locating, evaluating, and sharing information.
• Structure and develop online student-teacher and peer-to-peer interactions to invigorate learning in an increasingly technological society.
• Support measures to evaluate teachers' and students' acquisition and performance of content knowledge in selected areas.

In other words, Distance Learning often means more flexibility in many aspects of the educational process; creates potential situations for students to learn in accord with individual time-frames, speeds, and schedules; and provides a forum in which both educators and students can become savvier in the interpretation, transmission, and dissemination of information. In cases where technologies new to the student are used, Distance Learning can provide an opportunity to teach the given course's subject matter, as well as provide an experience with the program's chosen media-be they as basic as faxing and DVD lectures, or more complex tasks, like File Transfer Protocol procedures large-memory multimedia file compression.

Certainly, in some situations, regular face-to-face interaction with the educator is indispensable. Philosophy, for example, relies heavily on the Socratic Method-a dialectic approach to education in which dynamic, spontaneous discussion between the teacher and student is emphasized. In this case, an e-mail correspondence or video-presentation approach would clearly hamper the commonly preferred education technique.

Conversely, a subject like computer programming, which is dictated by rigid and exacting syntax procedures and codes, is more easily evaluated via a wider range of media, thus being more conducive to Distance Learning methods. When deliberating whether or not to engage in a distance learning, both educators and students need to weigh many factors-from subject matter and learning contract time-frames, to students' self-discipline and scheduling specifics, among many others-but if the correct choices are made, Distance Learning can jumpstart, expedite, and enhance the educational experience in many ways.