Defining Distance Education

Up until recently, my definition of distance learning was that it was just a synonym for online learning, or perhaps any computer-based training. This might be surprising to my fellow students coming from someone who claims 20 years experience as an instructional designer. It turns out that I have been making self-paced training materials and providing what perhaps should be simply called private tutoring. None of the training companies I have worked for were accredited nor granted any diploma or certificate to their customers               

Some of the training materials (computer-based training) did prepare customers for taking specific professional exams.

We did earn the official “Microsoft approved study guide” designation. Nevertheless, none of what I have created up until this point could be termed distance education because although there was always a geographic distance between myself and the students, my work was never part of an accredited, educational institution.
One of the first parts of a definition of distance learning is geographical distance. The students are removed from the instructor – rather than meeting with the instructor in the same room or other location. Also significant is the distance in time. I suppose that a course where almost all the presentation and work were delivered or completed by some other means than in-person interaction could be termed distance education because such a course would simply be asynchronous. This idea would miss the point, since underlying a definition of distance education is the concept that it is credible education that happens or is available even though instructor and students are not physically in the same location or interact simultaneously.

One of the key elements of the definition of distance learning is the fact that it is administered by an institution, a college, university, or perhaps another type of institution. However, the accreditation is by the same agencies that evaluate educational institutions (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek 2012).Independent study, distributed learning, open learning, and other terms have been used to describe structured activities that when measured by the appropriate, accredited authority can grant degrees or credentials to students (Tracey & Richey 2005).

Considering the importance of credible degrees and credentials, I cannot escape the significance of distance learning being structured and administered by an institution. I must and have adopted this into my own definition. I also include the idea of geographical distance or temporal distance as elements to the definition. I assert that distance education is structured educational programs offered by accredited institutions to students who are far away from the sources of instruction (teacher, materials, labs, and so forth) either in time, space, or other types of distance such as cultural.
In thinking of the future of distance learning, I return to my original thoughts and ask: where does self-paced learning fit into the mix? While it is clear that a mechanism for credibility is essential, with the availability of global resources, communities, and connections, people can now learn and gain skills outside of structured institutions with more ease and less cost than ever before.

I anticipate that the use of professional exams such as the Microsoft Certified Professional exams or those provided by companies such as BrainBench will gain more footing in the eyes of employers as time passes.

In many professions, it is one’s portfolio of past work that establishes skills and competence far more than degrees and credentials. Perhaps this will continue. Regardless of what the future may hold, with respect, I propose that the quality of self-paced training and distance learning is more important than which definition we use for either.
Here is a mind map about Distance Eduction:


References:      

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (5th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.

Tracey, M., & Richey, R. (2005). The evolution of distance education. Distance Learning, 2(6), 17–21.