This document discusses the history and evolution of open and distance education over the last decades of the 20th century. It addresses the conceptual confusion around different models like face-to-face, blended, and fully online learning. There is a need for theoretical inquiry to develop theories that address the needs of new audiences in distance education. Challenges include whether distance education is truly "open" and developing a theory to guide the field into the future.

1. Open and Distance
Education: From theory to
practice
Dr. Dimitrios Vlachopoulos
University of Roehampton London Online
European University Cyprus

2. Index
Distance Education in the
last decades
Conceptual Confusion
Need for theoretical Inquiry
Challenges and debate

3. Distance Education in the last decades
CONTEXT
• Last decades of 20th century
• Need for continuous learning
• Technological innovation and development
• Financial crisis
• In all levels of Education- Higher Education
• Accreditation/recognition
(Feenberg, 1999)

4. • face-to-face learning (no e-learning)
• classroom support model
• blended model
• Fully online model
Different terms
Conceptual Confusion
Bates & Poole (2003:127)
Sangra, Vlachopoulos & Cabrera, 2012

5. Different approaches
Evolving phenomenon
Responds to different needs
It is applied in different
contexts
TECH
e-learning as the use of technologies as a means
to facilitate access to learning
DELIVERY
e-learning mainly as a means of accessing and
delivering education and training and contents (for
learning, teaching, knowledge, etc.). In other words,
the central aspect in this category is access rather the
results achieved
EDU
New way of teaching
and learning

6. PHILOSOPHY- Need for an “inclusive” approach
• Gives people the opportunity to manage the time, space and pace of
their study
• Gives the opportunity to the masses to access education-knowledge
A form of teaching and learning - which may represent a part
or the whole of the education model in which it is used - that
makes use of electronic media and devices to facilitate
access, promote evolution and improve the quality of
education and training

7. CHALLENGES
• Is Distance Education really “Open”?
• Theories must be developed that speak to the needs and concerns of
new audiences
• What do we need to create a “theory” for distance education?

8. References
• Bates, A.W. & Poole, G. (2003) Effective Teaching with Technology in
Higher Education. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass
• Feenberg, A. (1999). Reflections on the distance learning
controversy. Canadian Journal of Communication, 24, 337 – 348.
• Sangrà, A., Vlachopoulos, D. & Cabrera, N. (2012). Building an
inclusive definition for e-learning: an approach to its conceptual
framework. The International Review of research in Open and
Distance Learning. 13(2), 145-159.

9. DR. DIMITRIOS VLACHOPOULOS
MA IN TEACHING &
LEARNING IN DIGITAL
BA MA MA DEA PhD
Distance learning
Quality assurance
Foreign languages
Instructional Technology
CLASSICS AND
LINGUISTICS,
UNIVERSITY OF
PATRAS, GREECE
ENVIRONMENT,
UNIVERSITY OF
BARCELONA
MA IN SOUTH
EAST EUROPEAN
STUDIES,
UNIVERSITY OF
ATHENS
MA IN PROGRAM
DESIGN AND
EVALUATION,
UNIVERSITY OF
BARCELONA
CURRENT POSITION
EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY
CYPRUS, DIRECTOR DISTANCE
EDUCATION UNIT
UoRL, online tutor
COLLABORATION
WITH OPEN UNIVERSITIES
OPEN UNIVERSITY CYPRUS
OPEN UNIVERSITY OF
CATALONIA
University of Liverpool
2009-2012
AUTONOMOUS UNIVERSITY OF
BARCELONA
2005-2009
UNIVERSITY OF BARCELONA/
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT
BERKELEY
SKILL SETS CONTACT
00357-22-559584
d.vlachopoulos@euc.ac.cy
e-learning
ΕΥΧΑΡΙΣΤΩ!
ΜΕRCI!
THANK YOU!
¡GRACIAS!
DISTANCE EDUCATION &
INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY