Accessible, Effective

Distance Education
Anytime, Anyplace
 DISTANCE EDUCATION
• Differs from traditional classroom in 2
essential elements:
• Physical distance
• Time

“Education – anytime, anywhere.”

 DISTANCE EDUCATION
• Associated with learner accessibility,
whether learning is experienced locally or
globally, at-home, a dormitory, or in the
work place, regardless of a rural or urban
setting, across state lines, and even
internationally.
THE EVOLUTION OF DISTANCE
EDUCATION
 Correspondence and Radio Courses (19th
century
 Radio – 1st technology used in distance
education in 1919
 Telephone, Television and Satellite
Courses
 Audio conferencing – provided the first two-
way interaction w/in distance education for
physician and nurses in Wisconsin
THE EVOLUTION OF DISTANCE
EDUCATION
 Computer Technology and the Internet
 Late 1970’s
 CBE (Computer-Based Education)
 CAI (Computer Assisted Instruction)
 Computer-managed Instruction
 Implemented to supplement traditional
classroom courses
 Computer Technology and the
Internet
• Web-enhanced course
– The instructor may use online modules,
electronically provide required handouts or
printed materials and may use chats to extend
the learning experience for the student
enrolled in a traditional face-to-face course.
• Hybrid course format
– Allows instructions to be delivered in a mixture
of 50% of learning online and 50% of learning
in the classroom
 EDUCATIONAL ELECTRONIC
PLATFORMS
• An electronic product that assists the
delivery of Internet courses
• Five common educational platforms used
for distance education:
• Angel
• Blackboard
• eCollege AU+
• First Class
• Web-CT Campus Edition
 EDUCATIONAL ELECTRONIC
PLATFORMS
• Type of hardware or software needed
– All five educational platforms runs on IBM
compatible personal computer.
– The most dominant browser is Microsoft
Internet Explorer and or Netscape
– Macintosh Browsers is available for Angel and
eCollege AU+
 EDUCATIONAL ELECTRONIC
PLATFORMS
• Authentication requirements
– Where student access is based on
– Includes:
• Discussion capabilities
• File exchange
• E-mail capability
• Real-time chats
 EDUCATIONAL ELECTRONIC
PLATFORMS
• Group work feature
– The capability to allow the instructor to assign
the students or groups with discussion forums
and presentation folder or file exchange
– Available on all five platforms but group email
is only available on Blackboard, Angel and
eCollege AU+
 EDUCATIONAL ELECTRONIC
PLATFORMS
• Progress review, assessment capabilities
and online grading features
– Includes automated testing with scoring and
online grading
– Not available on First Class educational
platform
 EDUCATIONAL ELECTRONIC
PLATFORMS
• Student Tracking
– Provides instructor with reports and stats on
student usage
• E.g. accessing course content and discussion
forums
 EDUCATIONAL ELECTRONIC
PLATFORMS
• Help Capability
– The use of online manual and availability of
online courses and user groups
– Available on all educational platforms
 EDUCATIONAL ELECTRONIC
PLATFORMS
• Course Templates
– Allows user to categorize course information
– Provides the course building blocks
– Includes course content, course units,
syllabus and discussions
• Announcement Capability
– Available in Angel, Blackboard and eCollege
AU+