RESEARCH PAPER

North American University

Education Department
M.Ed. in EDLE & CUIN
EDUC 5324: INTEGRATING TECHNOLOGY INTO EDUCATION
Name:_____Vildan Kucukbasol______

Date: _______11/1/15_______

Topic Selected:
What does the research say about advantages and disadvantages of distance education?

1. LITERATURE REVIEW:
What does the literature/research say about this issue/topic? By using NAU
Library or Online Search engines, conduct a literature review.

You need to include 5 different sources (book, journal article, web article
etc.) in your review. Try to use current sources as much as possible.

You need to summarize and synthesize your sources by discussing a

common theme or issue.

You don't need to critique your sources

You don't need to evaluate your sources (if the sources are trustworthy,
weather the author has a bias or not)

You need to provide background information such as history and

definitions

Brief Literature Review:

Distance education is a current "catch all" phrase for-any form of instruction in which the
learner is separated from the teacher in terms of location, but is linked by some form of
telecommunicated medium that permits live, interactive audio and/or video exchanges
between teacher and student(s). Instruction is not presented in the traditional manner
where teacher and students are assembled together in the same classroom, at the same
time, to participate in the teaching/learning process (Barker, 1989).
Distance education is getting more and more popular each day, and there are some
advantages and disadvantages of it. We can list the advantages as follows:

As our world becomes increasingly technology-based, distance education can

help individuals in rural areas keep abreast of new and existing technologies. With
distance technology-assisted methods, students can both improve their knowledge
and skills in their chosen subjects areas, as well as improve their knowledge and
skills in using the technologies that are becoming increasingly common in the
workplace (Motamedi, 1999).
The expense of the private colleges is prohibitive for many and being small their
programs are limited. Distance education is less expensive for students in terms of
tuition and travel costs (Greer-Pitt, 2001).
Students can stay where they are and are not forced to relocate to inconvenient,

unfamiliar, far away centers of knowledge (Motamedi, 1999). Some potential

students have family situations, job commitments or health problems that make
getting to campus at any time difficult if not impossible. Two reasons most often
given by students for choosing a web-based course is either child care
responsibilities or health problems. For these students education that they can
access without leaving their homes is the only solution (Greer-Pitt, 2001).
Internet based education is the cheapest and easiest form of distance education for
educational institutions to provide (aside from old fashioned correspondence
courses which are rapidly being displaced as the speed and ease and even costs of
electronic communications improve over postal communication). Web based
instruction requires far less investment in equipment and labor than either satellite
or interactive television (Greer-Pitt, 2001).
Many on-line instructors comment about how much more one-on-one interaction
they have with on-line students (through e-mail, bulletin boards, and chat rooms)
than they do with traditional class room students. (Greer-Pitt, 2001). In a modern
distance education instruction format, the teacher can see the students and their
reactions and whether the students understand what they have been taught
(Motamedi, 1999).
Also, the students can see the teacher. Students are able to see other students and
interact with them verbally (Motamedi, 1999).

As stated above, there are also a number of disadvantages in the field of distance
education which can be listed below.

On-line instruction requires access to fast, powerful computers, and quality

internet connections. Sometimes the quality of audio and video may be unclear to
the viewers. The audio and video equipment are complicated in that it may cause
delay in one's class time (Greer-Pitt, 2001).
Online education is a different medium for teaching and learning, and therefore
requires a different pedagogy (Bernard et al., 2004). Distance learning is not for
everyone. It takes a certain type of student to be successful. Distance learning
success requires self-motivation, self-discipline, and well-established
organizational skills, study skills and computer skills. In the classroom, a student
who does not wish to participate can still survive. They show up, sit quietly,
absorb the lectures, listen to the conversation, take the tests, and still manage to
pass the class and gain some knowledge. This is not possible for the on-line
student. Not to participate is not to pass the class (Greer-Pitt, 2001).
Limited Program Options (Greer-Pitt, 2001).
The loss of tacit knowledge so important in most academic fields and
occupations. Tacit means understood without being openly expressed. Tacit
knowledge is that which can only be learned through direct experience -- through
seeing and hearing another person. Tacit knowledge is not found in written
materials and sometimes not even in recorded lectures (Greer-Pitt, 2001).
Developing distance education programs includes significant pressures for
standardization of educational content and the commodification of the educational
product. Developing online courses is highly labor intensive. Faculty who are
asked to do this are rarely given adequate release time for development. Whether
course materials are pulled from a corporate shelf or created by institutional
faculty, then passed on as a package, the process tends to turn the creative

interaction of faculty and students into a commodity relationship (Greer-Pitt, 2001).

When language barriers exist, it is especially necessary for the instructor to
enunciate the words and speak clearly and loudly. Those who speak different
languages may have different learning styles. The instructor should accommodate
as many learning styles as possible (Motamedi, 1999).

To sum up, As Jakupcak and Fishbaugh (1998) argue, distance education is a horse of a
different color. It has the potential to increase training and networking opportunities in
rural states. Distance education is here to stay; how well it is implemented will determine
whether this becomes one of the stronger "horses" in our stable of pre-service and inservice delivery modes.
2. REFLECTION:

What is your personal opinion on this issue? Do you agree with the
research? If you agree or disagree, please explain why?
Provide examples/experiences regarding this issue from school
perspective or If you are not working in a school, from your profession. Be
specific with your examples. You can mention software/hardware names,
specific methods that you plan to use, etc.
How would you implement this research in your career? (At least 1
paragraph)

Reflection:
Distance education has been a very helpful way of learning for many people who do not
have access to either institutions or teachers. It has made it easier for students by
providing them with education at the comfort of their own home and it has a number of
advantages as well as some limitations that I believe will be overcome in the future.
In my opinion, besides fulfilling the requirements of the class, one can learn a lot about
the current technology with means of distance education. It requires one to use certain
computer programs and software to complete the tasks and keeping him/her up-to-date
with the latest technology trends unconsciously, it helps to utilize the technology
efficiently.
There are some disadvantages to distance education as well but in time I believe they
can be surmounted. One of them, according to the research, is the lack of
communication between the instructor and the students. But I do not think it is a huge
limitation. The students can ask for further instructions and clarifications via telephone
and e-mail. Another one is that, the classes are staying at a standard level and
instructors often tend to repeat themselves as distance education takes a lot of time and
they do not have enough time for research. I think this is true to some extent. If the
instructors are not open to innovations, they can easily follow a routine and classes they
teach might get at the standard level. However, they must always keep in mind that new
students bring new enthusiasm for the class and they deserve the best instruction by the
instructor.
Personally speaking, I have taken the advantage of distance education at a considerable
amount while I am doing my masters. I have chosen to stay at home for the last two
years in order to take care of my toddler son and my husband is very busy six days of
the week. Without distance education available, it would be almost impossible for me to
do my masters because I would have to bring my son to class or leave him to a friend.
And also I believe distance education gives more freedom to the student and the
instructor. In my case I need flexible hours to do my assignments and attend classes
while taking care of my son at the same time. Thinking the cost of the classes, distance

education is a lot more affordable for me.

3. REFERENCES:

Cite at least 5 References in APA.

You may use http://www.citationmachine.net/apa/cite-a-journal for citing
your sources in APA style.

References:
Barker, B. O. (1989). Distance Education Technologies: All that Glitters Is Not Gold.
Bernard, R. M., Abrami, P. C., Lou, Y., Borokovski, E., Wade, A., Wozney, L., &
Huang, B. (2004). How does distance education compare with classroom
instruction? A meta-analysis of the empirical literature. Review of Educational
Research, 74(3), 379439.
Greer-Pitt, S. (2001). Distance Learning: Silver Bullet or Educational Apartheid?
Jakupcak, J., & Fishbaugh, M. S. (1998). A Horse of a Different Color: Distance
Education; Making it Effective.
Motamedi, V. (1999). An Overall View of Distance Education in the United States.