1 | P a g e

Distance education has sought to extend the traditional university and to overcome
problems of scarcity and exclusivity. As universities seek to grow their distance learning
programs, more students have the opportunity to receive a college education in order to be more
relevant in the workforce. It is important to understand the origins, growth, and type of student
utilizing distance education so that we, as educators, can better understand how we should
approach teaching in this field.
History of Distance Education
The origins of distance education can be traced to correspondence courses which began
in Sweden in 1833. These courses were encouraged by Sir Isaac Pitman, who advertised them in
England in 1840. The first correspondence courses in the United States started in Boston in 1873
by Anna Eliot Ticknor. Over twenty-four years, more than 10,000 students, mostly women,
would correspond monthly with teachers regarding readings and tests. Distance learning took on
a whole new era from the 1920s to the 1980s as radio and television made their mark. Courses
were offered using both mediums, even after the development of the internet in the 80s. Since
the invention of the internet, many credit and non-credit courses have been offered to students
across the globe making education at all levels more accessible to people of all backgrounds.
Yale professor William Rainey Harper was a major proponent of correspondence courses, stating
that The student who had prepared a certain number of lessons in the correspondence school
knows more of the subject treated in those lessons, and knows it better, than the student who has
covered the same ground in the classroom (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012, p.
38). I believe this is still true in distance education today. As a distance student, I am responsible
for learning all the material on my own as well as answering any questions I may have. This
2 | P a g e

results in my learning the material more thoroughly than if I had been sitting in a lecture
focusing only on what the instructor presented.
Definition of Distance Education
While several authors have offered definitions of distance education over the last fifty
years, most definitions agree on a couple of key items: the learner is physically separate from the
teacher and there must be some type of communication between the student and teacher. In our
textbook, distance education is defined as institution-based, formal education where the
learning group is separated, and where interactive telecommunications systems are used to
connect learners, resources, and instructors (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012, p.
32). This is the definition that most rely on today. The textbook goes on to cover the four main
aspects of the definition in greater detail to show that they are each important characteristics in
defining distance education.
Research in Distance Education
According to a report titled Whats the Difference? by Ronald Phipps and Jamie
Merisotis, there is an abundance of research regarding distance education. This research, if taken
at face value, seems to prove that distance learning is on par with face to face instruction.
However, Phipps and Merisotis encourage educators and policymakers to take a more in depth
look at the results of this research to analyze what the research tells us and does not tell us
(Phipps & Merisotis, 1999, p. 7). In the report, Phipps and Merisotis conclude that the most
significant problem is that the overall quality of the original research is questionable and thereby
renders many of the findings inconclusive (Phipps & Merisotis, 1999, p. 10). However, Thomas
Russells book "The No Significant Difference Phenomenon: A Comparative Research
Annotated Bibliography on Technology for Distance Education," published in 2011, stands in
3 | P a g e

stark contrast to the conclusions of Phipps and Merisotis. According to the companion website,
Russells book is a fully indexed, comprehensive research bibliography of 355 research reports,
summaries and papers that document no significant difference in student outcomes based on the
mode of education delivery (face to face or at a distance) (WICHE Cooperative for Educational
Technologies, 2010). Both of these references, however, seem to show that significant research
continues to be done in the field of distance education in order to help educators and
policymakers improve the quality and availability of distance education for the future.
Asynchronous Tools in Distance Education
Since one aspect of the definition of distance education is that the "learning group is
separate," asynchronous communication tools are very important to distance education.
Asynchronous tools allow students to access information presented in learning modules at any
time, which helps make distance education so convenient for students. According to our
textbook, "Asynchronous course components are available 24 hours a day, at the learner's
convenience, and are time-zone independent" (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012,
p. 125). In other words, instead of being required to meet in a classroom (face-to-face or virtual)
at a specific time, students are able to go online at any time to access information.
Some tools we looked at in class include blogs and Google Docs. Blogs, such as the
EduBlog website, allow students to create an online journal or discussion forum. Students can
post responses to specific questions asked by the instructor or original ideas based on their
thoughts of the curriculum. Then other classmates have the opportunity to respond to these posts
creating an online dialog which helps students apply information learned in class. Google Docs
allows students to work collaboratively on documents, such as putting together information for a
group assignment. Students can work on projects from their own computer, but are able to see
4 | P a g e

others changes in real time so that a project comes together easily. Both of these tools allow
students to work together while being far away from each other and without having to coordinate
schedules to be available at a certain time. I feel that asynchronous tools like this are an essential
part of a successful distance education program. I believe that many students enrolled in distance
education programs also work and/or have families which require them to keep "awkward"
school hours. For instance, oftentimes I do not have a chance to start working on schoolwork
until 11 pm and I continue to work until the wee hours of the morning. I would not have had the
opportunity to complete my bachelor's or even consider getting a master's degree if I had been
required to attend weekly classes as this would not have fit into my family's schedule.
Synchronous Tools in Distance Education
There are, however, other times in distance education where it is necessary to use
synchronous tools in order to effectively communicate educational instruction. In fact, our
textbook highlights a need for synchronous communication by noting that "Although responses
to student questions by be instantaneous in the conventional classroom, feedback may be delayed
by hours or even days in an online learning situation" (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek,
2012, p. 126). Synchronous tools enable real-time communication and collaboration in a same
time-different place mode. These tools possess the advantage of allowing the instructor and the
learner to connect at a single point in time, at the same time. The primary drawback of
synchronous tools is that different time zones and conflicting schedules can create
communication challenges. Synchronous tools are ideally used when the collaboration needs to
be immediate and are generally more interactive for both the learner and the instructor.
For this class, we looked at Skype and AWW: A Web Whiteboard. Skype is very useful
for staying in touch with others through video, voice or instant message. All parties can
5 | P a g e

communicate in real time and videos or other resources can be viewed by everyone. AWW: A
Web Whiteboard is a whiteboard that can be used on a computer, smart phone or tablet where the
student and teacher are able to collaborate on a task just like using a dry erase whiteboard in a
traditional classroom. Teacher and student can use different ink colors to show corrections in real
time. Students are able to get quick feedback while working.
Conclusion
During the first half of this course, we have learned about the history of distance
education and how the field has grown. We have also discussed the various definitions of
distance education. All these definitions basically boil down to four major components which
make up our definition today: institutionally-based, separation of teacher and student, interactive
telecommunications, and sharing of data, voice, and video (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, &
Zvacek, 2012, p. 33). Further, we have learned how the history and definitions have played a role
in research regarding distance education. Researchers are still divided on whether or not distance
learning has more benefits than traditional, face to face learning. Finally, we learned about the
various tools for synchronous and asynchronous communication in distance education. All the
information gathered from the first half of this course is valuable in preparing me as a future
educator. I appreciate the opportunities we have in this course to learn about a variety of tools for
the classroom.



6 | P a g e

References
Matthews, D. (1999, September). The Origins of Distance Education and its use in the United
States. T.H.E. Journal, 27(2), 56-66.
Phipps, R., & Merisotis, J. (1999). What's the Difference? A Review of Contemporary Research
on the Effectiveness of Distance Learning in Higher Education. Washington, D. C.:
Institute for Higher Education Policy.
Simonson, M., Smaldino, S. E., Albright, M. J., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and Learning at
a Distance: Foundations of Distance Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
WICHE Cooperative for Educational Technologies. (2010). About Us. Retrieved from No
Significant Difference: http://www.nosignificantdifference.org/about.asp