Distance Education

Breaking the compound term into its component parts and examining the denotations
of those part gives a starting place for understanding the term. Distance refers to
space between two things, and Education refers to the systematic giving and
receiving of instruction (American Heritage English Dictionary). Simonson, Smaldino,
Albright, and Zvacek synthesize these denotations into this denition of Distance
Education:
Institution-based, formal education where the learning group is separated,
and where interactive telecommunications systems are used to connect
learners, resources, and instructors.
(Teaching and Learning at a Distance, 2012)
An important component of this denition is the emphasis on formal learning, or as
Simonson et al put it, an Institutional Basis. This makes the distinction that Distance
Education is different from Distance Learning in that it is a formalized process rooted in
the same formal processes of face-to-face instruction.
My denition of Distance Education is learning that takes place in a formalized process
(such as within an institution) where the learner and teacher are separated. In this
simplied version of Simonson et als denition, the key difference between regular
education and distance education is the amount of space between the teacher and the
learner.
This raises an interesting, but possibly overly-epistemological, question. When and
where does learning take place. In a traditional face-to-face setting, the teacher either
manages a learning environment where students discover systems of knowledge
through a process of inquiry, or the teacher delivers expert knowledge directly. In both
cases, the learning may not take place immediately in the classroom at the instant the
teacher grants the knowledge. Students complete assignments at home to augment
and prove their understanding. In this sense, traditional face-to-face courses can have
elements of distance learning to them. The difference will be how the student veries
with the instructor the knowledge he/she has acquired: either in person or using some
type of distance communication, such as mail, video, or electronic technology.
Both of these denitions, Simonsons more specic and my more general, are likely to
stand the test of time because they both are careful to provide wide latitude in their
requirements. Technology will continue to change, so the methods of communicating
over distances are likely to continue to evolve as well. Both denitions provide for that
change. The idea of formalized learning is continuing to evolve as well, however at a
much slower pace. Formal education has been an important component of western
society for over a thousand years. Hopefully these denitions will last at least that long.