Distance education has existed for centuries and traditionally involved acquiring knowledge through correspondence courses delivered by postal mail. Recent definitions focus on how advanced technology now allows immediate interaction between instructors and students. Distance education uses a variety of media like internet, video, audio, and combinations to improve communication. It can be synchronous, requiring students and instructors to engage at the same time, or asynchronous with flexible schedules. Different course formats provide varying levels of independence and interaction for students. Factors like technological reliability and institutional support affect distance education systems.

1. Distance Education
Felix Besigomwe
(PhD.., MEdTech, MEdPsyc, B.Ed)
(2019)
fxbshepherd@excite.com
+256783317548

2. TYPES OF MEDIA USED IN
DISTANCE EDUCATION
• The Meaning of Distance Education
Distance education is traditionally defined as,
any educational or learning procedure in which
the guide and the student are separated
geographically.

3. Distance Education Explained
• Distance education also known as distance learning or
distributed learning, or remote education, has now
existed for ages. It involves acquiring information
from methods other than the traditional way of
gaining knowledge – attending institutions.
• Some recent definitions have focused on it as a new
development; involving advanced technology
Present-day distance learning is influenced a lot by
computer and electronics technology. The technology
has now made it possible for the guide and student to
connect almost immediately.
• Study resources can be delivered instantly through

4. History of Distance Education
Correspondence education, the initial form of
distance education, developed in the mid-
nineteenth century in Europe and then spread to
the United States and so on.
Initially distance education used the finest
technology available at that time, the postal
system, to open educational prospects to people
who wanted to study but were not able to attend
traditional schools.

5. • People who gained most from correspondence
education were women, professional people,
physical disabled, and individuals who lived in
areas where schools didn’t exist.
Isaac Pitman, a British is attributed to
pioneering the concept of “distance
education”. He started by teaching shorthand
via correspondence in 1840. Students were
asked to copy passages from Bible and send
them for grading via the new penny post

6. Cont.
In, American the distance education began in 1874 at
Illinois Wesleyan University where bachelor and
graduate degrees could be obtained without being
actually present in the classes. The Chautauqua
movement in the year 1882 gave the much
required thrust to correspondence education.
Correspondence education became quite famous
by 1900 and problems of excellence and fair
practice came with the popularity. The National
Home Study Council (NHSC) was formed in 1926
in part to deal with such issues.

7. Cont.
• Distance education went through a major
change after the invention of radio in the 1920s and
the arrival of television in the 1940s. Distance
education is increasingly using combinations of
different technologies to improve communication
between teachers and students. In 1900, after the
arrival of computer, distance education took a big
leap.
• Now the teachers and students can converse sitting
face-to-face.

8. Cont.
Students from business and university level have
used the conferencing technique known as
one-way video/two-way audio where pictures
from television are transmitted to particular
sites, people can reply to the newscaster via
telephone. Television pictures can also be
broadcast in two directions at the same time
through telephone lines, so that teachers and
students at one place can see and hear teachers
and students in other places.

9. Types of Distance Education
• Distance learning does not rule out the traditional
methods of learning. When used in the classroom or
professional education. It is also called distributed
learning.
• Types of distance education based on the
medium
Internet Based Courses
Students receive instructions through websites, email,
electronic bulletin boards, and messaging systems

10. • Video Based Courses
• Two types of video based distance learning
courses are available
• Pre-recorded – These are already recorded
video tapes that are sent to the students which
they can viewed as per convenience.
• Two-Way Interactive – Computer, satellites,
cameras, and television allow teachers and
students to interact.

11. • Audio Based Courses
• This includes everything from phone
conferences, radio broadcasting and
prerecorded audio CDs.

12. • There are a variety of ways to structure distance
learning courses. The format depends on the purpose
of the online course. Are you seeking an online
degree and taking a full online course load? Or are
you supplementing your on-campus curriculum with
online classes? Or perhaps your school has an
overload of courses and requires that you take an
online course. Whatever the reason, it is important to
know which type of distance learning course you are
taking so you can understand the time and travel
requirements that will be expected of you.

13. Synchronous vs Asynchronous
Distance Learning
– The four types of distance learning fall under the
categories of either synchronous or asynchronous.
Synchronous literally means “at the same time”,
while asynchronous means “not at the same
time”. Synchronous distance learning involves
live communication either through sitting in a
classroom, chatting online, or teleconferencing.

14. Cont.
• Asynchronous distance learning usually has a set of
weekly deadlines, but otherwise allows students to
work at their own pace. Students have more
interaction with their peers and deliver
correspondence through online bulletin boards. This
type of learning might get tedious for some because
they are usually only receiving the information
through text medium, however some asynchronous
classes involve video or audio supplements.

15. • Synchronous learning is less flexible and
disrupts the student’s life to a greater extent. It
is, however, the most popular form of college
distance learning and continuing education
programs, as it facilitates a greater amount of
interaction between students and professors.
• Some classes that do well in a synchronous
format include those degree programs that
highlight communication, such as general
psychology, nursing, general education, and

16. Cont.
Those programs that weigh more heavily on
projects and assignments thrive in an
asynchronous format because they provide the
students with more time to focus on their work.
A few degrees that work well in this format
include marketing, healthcare administration,
legal assistant or paralegal,
educational/instructional media design and
advertising.

17. Open Schedule Online
Courses
• With open schedule online courses, students are
allotted the greatest amount of freedom. This is an
asynchronous form of learning in which students are
provided Internet-based textbooks, mailing lists,
Email and bulletin boards to complete their
coursework. At the beginning of classes, the student
is provided a set of deadlines, but is allowed to work
at their own pace as long as the work is turned in by
the deadline. This type of learning is great for
students who work well independently and those who
do not procrastinate.

18. Hybrid Distance Learning
• Hybrid courses combine synchronous and
asynchronous learning to create a structure in which
the student is required to meet at a specific time in a
classroom or Internet chat room. However, they are
allowed to complete assignments on their own time
and may pass them in through an online forum. This
option is sometimes offered when a university lacks
adequate space to accommodate all their course loads.

19. Computer Based Distance
Learning
The main difference between computer based
learning and hybrid learning is that students
are not allowed an open schedule. They are
required to meet in a specific computer lab or
in a classroom at a designated time each week.

20. Fixed Time Online Courses
• The most common type of distance learning
today is fixed time courses. As the title states,
these courses are strictly online, but students
are required to log-in to their online learning
site at a specific time. Although they are
completely online, the format remains
synchronous because mandatory live chats are
often required.

21. Affective Variables in Distance
Education system
• There are many factors affecting a distance
education system and they must be anticipated
before starting the system. Let's review what
Wagner (1993) states:
• 1- Technological reliability.
• 2- Institutional support.
• 3- Organizational design and developmental
issues.

22. Distance Education Teaching
Media
• Instructional media, instructional methods,
information and communication technologies (ICT),
and distribution methods. Instructional methods are
grouped as group discussions, lectures, and
demonstrations. Presentation methods are grouped as
face-to-face, audio, video-based teleconferencing and
Groupware for online interactions. Distribution
methods are grouped as CD-ROM, e-mail, Internet,
and videotapes.

23. • Textbooks, Study Guides, and Study Aids
• News papers
• Audio Technology and Media
• Audio-books, audio-cards, records, audio-
cassettes reel-to-reel audiotapes, audio
Compact-discs (CDs), telephones, cell phones,
audio-texts, and radios are classified under
audio media

24. Cont.
• Video Technology and Media
• Television, satellite, direct broadcast satellite,
cable television, closed-circuit television,
asynchronous and synchronous, Podcast and
vodcast, teleconferencing, microwave,
interactive Video, teletext, videotext, computer
internet, weblogs (blogs), electronic mail,
chatroom, and multimedia are all different
applied technologies and media in distance
education.

25. Cont.
• Podcast and Vodcast
• Podcast is a form of technology in which
audio, video, text, and other media files can be
played on a computer or downloaded to MP3
players (Sprague & Pixley, 2008), and it is a
popular medium specifically for accessing and
assimilating audio information (Copely, 2007).

26. Any clarifications, additions, or
subtraction.
Facilitated by: Felix & Eric (2019)