This document defines and discusses distance education. It provides several definitions of distance education, including that it is a process for creating and providing access to learning when the source of information and learners are separated by time. It also defines it as using modern communication means to facilitate communication between teachers and learners. The history of distance education is traced back to the 1700s in the form of correspondence education, but it expanded with new technologies in the 1900s that allowed for audiovisual learning. More recently, it has provided access to education for students in rural communities.