The Leeds College Dahranwala

EDT: 12801
Distance Education

The Leeds College Dahranwala

Kashaf Colony Near Bismiallah Petrol Pump Chishtian Road
Dahranwala

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Unit # 1 Introduction to Distance and Non- Formal Education

What is distance education?
Distance learning, also called distance education, e-learning, and online learning, form
of education in which the main elements include physical separation of teachers and students
during instruction and the use of various technologies to facilitate student-teacher and student-
student communication. Distance learning traditionally has focused on nontraditional students,
such as full-time workers, military personnel, and nonresidents or individuals in remote regions
who are unable to attend classroom lectures. However, distance learning has become an
established part of the educational world, with trends pointing to ongoing growth. In U.S. higher
education alone, more than 5.6 million university students were enrolled in at least one online
course in the autumn of 2009, up from 1.6 million in 2002.
Distance learning is a form of education which has been created with the aim of delivering
education among those students who are not able to attend regular school due to various reasons.
It can also be defined as an education system to create as well as offer access to learning in a
situation where the source of education and learner are away from each other because of time
and distance. In brief, we can say that distance learning is an ideal way to offer education of
equal quality to meet the educational requirement of a learner outside the classroom. This
method of education is being adopted by a huge number of universities and institutes around the
world.
Distance education refers to the type of teaching/learning transaction whereby the teacher and
the student are separated physically, geographically, and spatially from one another. These
contribute to distances that can constrain the teaching/learning that takes place.
As Moore and Kearsley (1996) argue, distance education involves planned learning that occurs
in a different place from where teaching is being carried out. It requires special course design,
instructional techniques, communication media and technology, organizational as well as
administrative arrangements. Some authors use distance learning instead of distance education;
this tends to shift the emphasis to the learner only –but here the concern is also with the teaching
arrangements not only learning arrangements.

Characteristics of distance education

Based on the above definition, the following characteristics appear to belong to the distance
education activity:
 Separation of teacher and student

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 Use of technology to mediate teaching and learning

 Interaction between teacher and learner
 Administrative and Institutional support
What is non formal education?
Non-formal education became part of the international discourse on education policy in the late
1960s and early 1970s. It can be seen as related to the concepts of recurrent and lifelong
learning. Tight (1996: 68) suggests that whereas the latter concepts have to do with the extension
of education and learning throughout life, non-formal education is about ‗acknowledging the
importance of education, learning and training which takes place outside recognized educational
institutions‘.
Fordham (1993) suggests that in the 1970s, four characteristics came be associated with non-
formal education:
 Relevance to the needs of disadvantaged groups.
 Concern with specific categories of person.
 A focus on clearly defined purposes.
 Flexibility in organization and methods.
Definition
The word "non-formal" is derived by using the pre-fix "non" to formal. It is usually written NFE.
It can be define "Any organized educational activity outside the established formal system
whether operating separately or as an important feature of some broader activity that is intended
to serve identifiable learning clienteles and learning objective"

Objectives of Non Formal Education

1.To enable maximum out of school children from 9 to 14 years and attend the non-formal
stream.
2.Learning of basic skill i.e. reading, writing and general mathematic
3.To enable them about the handle different tools and techniques
4.To make them socially and morally active towards and national values and ideas
Characteristics of Non Formal Education
1.It is well planned and no need of any school system.
2.A participatory learning system
3.It is open ended educational system
4.No need for structured course and curriculum
5.Age, Time and curriculum flexibility
6.Involvement of both public and private sector in the process
7.It is not necessary to conduct exam on regular basis
8.Credentials like certificate and awards are not necessary to be awarded
9.Self-learning is appreciated
Types

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1.Para formal education

2.Popular education
3.Personal development
4.Professional and vocational training
5.Literacy with skill development
6.Supplementary NFE Pogroms

Examples
1.Sports programs organized of community organization
2.Non-credit adult education programs
3.Computer and Language Classes in a Community
4.Online free courses

Difference between formal education, noon formal

education and informal education:

Formal education: the hierarchically structured, chronologically graded ‗education system‘,

running from primary school through the university and including, in addition to general
academic studies, a variety of specialized programs and institutions for full-time technical and
professional training.
Informal education: the truly lifelong process whereby every individual acquires attitudes,
values, skills and knowledge from daily experience and the educative influences and resources in
his or her environment – from family and neighbors, from work and play, from the market place,
the library and the mass media.
Non-formal education: any organized educational activity outside the established formal system
– whether operating separately or as an important feature of some broader activity – that is
intended to serve identifiable learning clienteles and learning objectives.
The distinction made is largely administrative. Formal education is linked with schools and
training institutions; non-formal with community groups and other organizations; and informal
covers what is left, e.g. interactions with friends, family and work colleagues.

Conceptual framework of the distance education

The conceptual framework proposed does not attempt to explain or describe every possible
variable and relationship among variables in a distance education program. It rather provides a
set of concepts that can be used to think about distance education. It can be used as a heuristic
tool to examine relationships among concepts, study distance education programs, develop
additional lines of research, and raise new questions. This framework is not only applicable to

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distance education, but also to the study of ―hybrid‖ educational situations that use a
combination of face-to-face and mediated interactions.

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
Interaction lies at the center of any learning experience (Dewey, 1938; Vygotsky, 1978), and it
has been identified as one of the major constructs in distance education research (McIsaac &
Gunawardena, 1996; Moore, 1989; Vrasidas, 2000; Wagner, 1994). Dewey (1938) argued that
education is based on the interaction of an individual‘s external and internal conditions.
Interaction and the situation within which one experiences the world cannot be separated because
the context of interaction is provided by the situation. He postulated that ―an experience is
always what it is because of a transaction taking place between an individual and what, at the \
time, constitutes his environment ...‖ (p. 43). The idea of transaction suggests the inter
subjectivity between the individual him or herself, other people, and his or her surrounding
environment.

Context:
The context of interaction in distance education consists, of institutional and departmental
policies, technologies employed, the teacher, number of students enrolled in a program, and

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course content, among others. Policies and curricula will influence the teacher's selection of
structure and the content of the course. The content of an online course is an important
component of the context of interaction, and it influences the structure of the course. Some
content lends itself to certain kinds of interactions and instructional approaches.

Interaction in Distance Education

Four types of interaction were identified in distance education literature: learner-content, learner-
teacher, learner-learner, and learner-interface (Hillman et al., 1994; Moore, 1989).
Learner-content interaction is the fundamental form of interaction on which all education is
based.

The learner-teacher interaction can take the form of the teacher delivering instruction, lecturing,
and providing support, encouragement, and feedback to learners. The learner-learner/peers
interaction takes place when learners collaborate with peers on projects and discuss ideas.
Teacher-interface interaction is rarely examined or discussed in distance education literature.
However, problems of teacher-interface may have more to do with the success or failure of
distance education than any other kind of interaction.

Learner Control
Garrison and Baynton (1987) argued that the concept of control consists of three major
components: independence, power, and support. Therefore, control should be examined as the
resultant vector from these three factors. Independence is defined as the degree to which the
learner is free to make choices. Power refers to the abilities and competencies of the learner to
Engage in a learning experience. Support refers to the resources available that will enable the
learner to successfully participate in a distance education program. In a later study, Baynton
(1992) found that there are other factors that might influence control such as institutional
context, administrative policies, course design, and economic issues.

Feedback
Feedback has been associated with kinds of responses that provide information to students about
the correctness of their assignments, homework, or class contributions (Mory,
1996). Feedback in distance education is more important than just a mechanism for informing
the student on how well he or she did on an assignment. In face-to-face situations, nonverbal
gestures are constantly exchanged, providing both the teacher and learners with feedback. A
verbal comment by the teacher, a smile, a facial expression, and a gesture are all ways in which
students can receive feedback on their work and ideas. A confused look can indicate to the
teacher that he or she needs to elaborate on a topic or drop it.

Concept of non-formal education:

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To reconcile with the rapid growth and improvement of educational standard quantitatively and
qualitatively, NEE is engaging the foremost attention of all nations of the world. The natural
outcome of the profusion and emergence of Modern knowledge the influenced the educational
trends to use education as a social, political and economic tool for survival. Educational systems
of the countries reflect the quality and development of nations. It attracts people to acquire new
knowledge and skills, particularly in science which doubles itself every decade. Under these
conditions, the experts in pedagogical sciences are always exploring the new venues of education
for pacing with the demands and challenges of the future. The very obvious and prompt response
to this demand is to expand the system of education or to find out the alternate of formal System.

It was realized that the global changing circumstances demanded abrupt changes in the formal
system but due to its structural frame work it failed to fulfil the roles recognized above.
Naturally, the growing minds do not wait for the system to modify, therefore, it gave birth to
international movement which manifested itself in different ways in different nations according
to their own cultural, political and economic factors.

Non formal learning is one of the recent international educational movements which emerged
from the idea of general improvement of the people to meet their social and economic needs.

Non-formal Education (NFE) consists in a gathering of educational practices which are not
included in the formal system of education. This branch of education promotes non-formal
learning.
As one author says: „ According to my dictionary (Webster‘s, 1988) ―non-‖ is a prefix which
means ―not: absence of; reverse of‖… in other words the ―opposite of‘ something. But
nonformal education is not the opposite of formal education. In many ways they are similar or
overlap.
NFE is a methodology, which translates in carefully adjusted to the participants and structured
practices (although the activities are seldom associated to conventional rhythms or curriculum
subjects) which foster the personal, social and professional development of people, on a
voluntary basis; whereas informal learning is related to what one can learn during daily life
activities (work, family, leisure, etc.) being considered learning by doing. Informal and non-
formal learning can empower youngsters in important conceptions, as social inclusion, anti-
discrimination and active citizenship, as well as contributing to their personal growth.
Moreover, NFE can be seen as an educational approach which may act in a complementary way
with the formal educational system.
The learning activities within NFE are created to attend the young people‘s needs, aspirations
and interests, on a voluntary basis and learner-centered. The methods used in NFE are very
diverse and are mainly based on creating healthy environments of trust and sharing experiences.
This type of education provides added value for young people, for the economy and society in
terms of capacity-building of organizations, systems and institutions.
This education takes place in a diverse range of environments and address specific target groups
and subjects, facilitating the inclusion of young people with fewer opportunities.
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Distance education as a vehicle of non-formal education

Non formal education, then, occupies the middle ground between the traditional school system
and informal learning practices, with no particularly clear or sharp edges at the boundaries. For
instance, forms of schooling for children that happen not to take place within classroom walls,
yet which teach the formal curriculum in somewhat more flexible fashion and which potentially
feed into the formal examinations and credentialing system, are often lumped in with the
informal system. These, however, are perhaps more usefully termed ―alternative‖ schools within
the formal system. This is the case in Kenya, for example, where schools organized by slum
communities in Nairobi are called ―non formal‖ yet are in fact ―informally formal‖. A Kenyan
colleague terms these Jua Kali or ―open air‖ schools (Jedidah Mujidi, personal communication).
Schooling for adults who have never been to school or whose schooling has been exceedingly
limited also tends to be labelled ―non formal‖. In many countries, during the last two decades,
governments have established departments of non formal education as part of their ministries of
education and have given these departments responsibility for all adult and out-of-school
education, with a vague responsibility for coordinating adult education activities carried out by
other ministries, such as agriculture, health, and rural development. Often the main focus of their
work is adult literacy and continuing education, parallel to the formal system, for school leavers
and dropouts. This falls into a category which Carron and Carr-Hill label ―para formal NFE‖,
most of which is adult basic education, or ―ABE‖ (acronyms abound!). ABE and NFE are
overlapping descriptors. Many, perhaps most, ABE activities do fall within the non formal
sector, although in exemplary cases they may also lead, in ―laddered‖ fashion, to credentials
which enable participants to continue their education within the formal system. At the other end
of this ―formal-non formal-in formal‖ continuum, non formal initiatives often appear to be so
―informal‖ compared with the rigours of the formal system that they tend to merge with the
informal sector. Three main points from the Coombs et al. definition are helpful here, in terms of
setting NFE off from the informal sector. First, non formal education is organized. That is, it is
planned, designed, structured and managed; it does not happen casually. Second, NFE serves
―identifiable clientele‖. In other words, NFE offers opportunities for learning to clearly identified
target audiences. And third, NFE also has clearly defined educational objectives. Although it is
outside the formal system, NFE shares these characteristics with formal education, and this helps
to distinguish it from informal education. Back to the formal end of the continuum, more recent
discussions of NFE have attempted to distinguish non formal from formal education by
contrasting their characteristics For instance, Rogers (1996:3 3) offers the following comparison:

Formal education Non formal education

Target group mainly young mainly adults

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Universal voluntary
Those interested open
Compulsory
selective

· Time scale full time part time

Primary activity of secondary activity of
Participant‘s participants

Relevance separate from life integrated with life

In special institutions in community
In sole purpose buildings in all kind of setting

Curriculum one kind of education for all education to meet learner defined
needs
Set curriculum open curriculum
Subject centered problem centered
Controlled by teacher controlled by learner

Methods teacher centered learner centered

Mainly written much is oral

Objective set by teacher set by learner

Competitive collaborative

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Unit no 2
Components of Distance Education
The Components
For a distance education program to succeed, some components need to be observed. Depending
on the type of DE program and on the method of delivery, these concepts may vary.
Learner: learner‟s profile:
The Learner Profile outlines the qualities and attributes we endeavor to instil in each individual.
It highlights the life skills needed to equip them with the knowledge and dispositions to promote
intercultural understanding, and a will to make the world a better place.

1. Tutorials, Assignments and their preparations:

In good distance education, the course, rather than the educator, provides an appropriate learning
environment for students. Rather than simply referring to a set of materials, however, the course
is the structure of learning that is designed into the materials. It has three basic elements:
I. Conceptual pathways to command of its knowledge, conceptualizing skills and practical
abilities.
ii. Educational strategies for helping the student find his or her way through these pathways.
iii. Summative and formative assessment should be integral to the learning process.
The materials and presentation of the course as a whole must excite, engage, and reward the
student. Courses should be designed so as to involve students actively in their own learning and
should allow students quick access and clear movement through them. Although there is no need
for courses to use advanced technologies, most, but not necessarily all, will make use of a variety
of media. Provision should also be made, in the design of courses, for the necessary practical
work. In order to be as flexible and open as possible, courses should be organized in modules.
3. Tutor and tutoring:
Provision should be made by distance education providers to advise and help individuals who
would otherwise be isolated throughout the learning process, and, in particular, to help them to
make choices before enrolling for educational programs. It should be made easily available
through a variety of devices including, most importantly, human intervention.

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4. Correspondence material and Provision of adequate administrative

support to students:
Because of the nature of DE, course materials must be clear, well organized and easily
accessed. Content must integrate available technologies to enhance learning and to improve the
chances of meeting course objectives.
This would involve administrative support on a number of levels, including enrolment
procedures, payment of fees, delivery of materials, and in keeping channels of communication
open. The aim, throughout, should be to keep administrative procedures few and simple.
5. Study center and the environment:
The next component is that of the learning environment or center itself. This will be very
different from what most individuals are used to and requires an adjustment. Generally, the
environment will be either at the student‘s home or workplace. Both have their distractions that
can occur which requires the student to identify the time and place that will work best for them.

6. Knowledge of Technology:
The use of multimedia, e-books, learning content management systems, SCORM, the Internet,
Intranet, and Extranet, e-mail, and information and communications technology. For a DE
program to start, all involved should have sufficient knowledge of how technology can be
applied (Khan 2001, p.32). Lack of knowledge may promote resistance and deprive the
institution from its ability to develop strategic plans (Berge 2000).

7. Learner support service:

Learner support is another critical component of an effective learning environment. It focuses on
what the teacher or instructor can or should do to help learners beyond the formal delivery of
content, or skills development.
Learner support covers a wide range of functions, and is a topic that will be dealt with in more
depth elsewhere. Here my focus is on indicating why it is an essential component of an effective
learning environment, and to describe briefly some of the main activities associated with learner
support.

Unit no. 3
Use of educational technology
Introduction:

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Distance Education: A Definition

The different educational situations have provided many definitions of distance education. One
that was developed at the University of Wisconsin says it quite simply and serves us well:

Distance education is a planned teaching/learning experience that uses a wide spectrum of

technologies to reach learners at a distance and is designed to encourage learner interaction
and certification of learning.

From The Distance Education Profile & Inventory in the UW System

Background
Distance education opportunities are all around us and growing in number as you read this page.
A majority of K-12 schools, colleges, and universities are offering distance education programs
and courses and a rapidly increasing number say that they are planning to offer them in the near
future. With personnel and clients scattered around the globe, business, industry, and government
are using technology to hold meetings, train their employees more efficiently and effectively,
and share instructors to meet the growing demands of training.

Although distance education is being considered a new phenomenon by many, it really isn't new.
It began with the development of correspondence study over 100 years ago. The University of
Wisconsin was a pioneer in this field. In fact, the term "distance education" was first used in a
University of Wisconsin catalog in 1892. Fourteen years later professors began to extend
correspondence study to the use of "new media" as they began recording their lectures and
sending the records to be played on phonographs by distant students.

Later, radio and two-way audio instruction were added to the growing list of distance education
technologies. Extended Degree Programs followed. In more recent years, television and
Instructional Television Fixed Service (ITFS) have played a role in reaching adult learners
throughout the state. Currently, web conferencing, live interactive satellite capability, fiber optic
networks, videoconferencing, interactive computer networking, email, the Internet, the World
Wide Web (www), and distributed learning have emerged on the scene, providing an increasing
number of options for more effectively and conveniently meeting a wide variety of
communication, educational, and training needs. Videoconferencing is one of these options and
can be blended with any number of the other distance education technologies.

TECHNOLOGY AND DISTANCE EDUCATION

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Distance education is a field of education that focuses on pedagogy/Andragogy, technology and

incorporated in delivering education to students who are not physically ―on site‖ to receive their
education. Instead, teachers and students may communicate asynchronously by exchanging
printed or electronic media, or through technology that allows them to communicate in real time.
Simonson, M.R (2006, p.35) further points that distance education courses that require a physical
on-site presence for any reason including the taking of examinations is considered to be a hybrid
or blended course or program.
The practice of distance education has dramatically changed since the early 1990s. Educators are
using technology to increase the distant learner‘s access to the local classroom, to improve
access of all learners to resources and to make the experience of the remote student comparable
to that of the local learner.
According to Moore, M.G (2005, P.7)
“Distance education no longer relies heavily as it used to on the delivery of point and
broadcast media technologies. Recent innovations in hardware, software and internet
technologies have made communications based distance education systems more available,
easier to use and less costly.”
Technology is an important factor in distance education. For the communication purposes
different types of technologies are used. Rumble (1994) said that four media namely print, audio,
television, computers are available for teaching purposes, in one technological form or another.
Electronic publishing will be a major development in distance education. Over the next decade, it
would expect at least 70% of the various steps in publishing to be carried out electronically in
most European distance teaching institutions. Every learner is acquainted with text books as a
potential print-based study material (Bates, 1994). Finally Islam (2005) added that the distinction
between media and technology is a useful one. A medium is a generic form of communication
associated with particular ways of presenting knowledge.
There are five important media in education namely direct human contact (face to face), text
(including still graphics), audio, television and computing. The use of each medium gives both
variety and chance of accommodating different learning styles.

Technologies
There are many types of distance education technologies. During this course we will be
concentrating on videoconferencing. With videoconferencing you can not only see and hear all
program participants but you can integrate other non-real time resources that make the learning
environment more powerful than face-to-face instruction. The ability for students to see and hear
the instructor brings high levels of interaction to the distance education experience. In addition,
videoconferencing can be easily and effectively blended with the other distance education
technologies.

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With so many distance education technologies to consider, it's easy to feel overwhelmed and
confused. But learning about the variety of distance education technologies, isn't as difficult as it
may seem. They can be quite easily divided into four general categories: Print, Audio, Video,
and Computer. Distance education technologies are based on one, or some combination of these
four categories:

Print

 In correspondence study, students learn largely through developed Print Packages.

Increasingly, however, correspondence programs are also including audiotapes,
videotapes and web components.
 Print is also often a component part of videoconferencing courses, i.e. brochures, letters
binders, etc.
 Fax machines allow for the transmission of hard copy text and visuals between the sites.
Instructors often use the fax to transmit information that failed to reach a site, while
students regularly use the fax to transmit assignments and reports.

Audio

 Audio conferencing links individuals or groups by telephone at multiple sites and

provides a low-cost opportunity for instruction and interaction. Audio conferences are
often incorporated into programs and courses that use other technologies.
 With Voice Mail, instructors and learners have the capability of leaving messages when
the person they are calling isn't available. These messages can then be answered at the
person's convenience. Faculty can update assignments and provide feedback, while
students ask questions and carry on valuable communication.

Video

 Tele courses are pre-produced television programs on videotape that are usually
accompanied by a study guide and are distributed via broadcast or cable channels. In
some instances they are viewed in real time, and in others they may be downloaded,
taped, and viewed by learners at a later time.
 Many courses and programs are developed and produced specifically for use on
Videotape, which provides cost effective training and instruction. Videotapes are often
designed as a component of print materials. These tapes and materials can then be played
by students at their convenience.
 One-way Video is video transmitted over delivery technology and is often referred to as
Business TV. These live programs and courses are created to be sent to multiple sites.
With the right software and hardware, it is becoming increasingly common to receive
one-way video via desktop computers. With each of these technologies, it is also possible
to incorporate audio via phone or a return key.

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 With Two-way Video Two-way Audio or Interactive Video or videoconferencing,

instructors and students can see, hear, and interact with each other. This increases the
potential for highly interactive learning experiences. In addition, other technologies and
media can be integrated into the system, providing the capability of a rich learning
environment.

Computer

 Computer self-paced packages are increasingly being designed for learners who want
flexibility of both time and place. These packages can be purchased by an individual or
distributed over a local area network (LAN) or wide area network (WAN.)
 Web conferencing is a relatively new technology that is taking the place of earlier audio
graphics technology, which limited participants to specific sites. Web conferencing uses a
web browser and software that provides voice and graphics interaction among
participants at their desktops. With this technology, PowerPoint© slides can be uploaded
to the software and numerous other tools can be used for providing information or for
interactive participation. In addition, applications can be shared and edited by participants
at the various locations.
 The Internet provides students the opportunity to link into a network of computers. Once
on the Internet, other tools are also available: the rich resources of the World Wide Web
(www), the capability, with the appropriate software, to email anyone with an email
address, to send Attachments and to access audio and video.
 Collaborative and Group Software offers distance education students ways to work
interactively on documents by editing and changing them. With this type of software,
students can post messages on a bulletin board system or meet in designated "virtual chat
spaces" to communicate in "real time" or asynchronously.
 CD-ROM, which stands for Computer Disc Read Only Memory, is a computer storage
medium similar to an audio CD.

Blending Distance Education Technologies

Blending Distance Education Technologies gives the teacher and learner the options of using the
most appropriate technology to fit the specific learning situation. While for teaching purposes,
dealing with one technology at a time, in a linear manner, may make sense; in the overall
learning process utilizing many technologies, fitting them to the specific needs of the learner is
more effective. Most of the technologies can be used in combination with each other. In this
course, for example, we are utilizing videoconferencing, the World Wide Web, the internet,
email, fax, print materials, and probably others as the need and opportunity arises.

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Unit no 4
Trends In Distance Education

Open schooling:
Open schooling is defined by the Commonwealth of Learning as ‗the physical separation of the
school-level learner from the teacher, and the use of unconventional teaching methodologies and
information and communications technologies (ICTs), to bridge the separation and provide the
education and training‘. Open schooling can be either complementary or an alternative to the
conventional school system, and can deliver quality education cost effectively and at scale.
It is also referred as open education. Open education is education without academic admission
requirements and is typically offered online. Open education broadens access to the learning and
training traditionally offered through formal education systems.[1] The qualifier "open" refers to
the elimination of barriers that can preclude both opportunities and recognition for participation
in institution-based learning. One aspect of openness or "opening up" education is the
development and adoption of open educational resources.

Learning philosophy in open schooling:

Open education is motivated by a belief that learners want to exercise agency in their studies.
Specifically, people engaged in the learning process want to conduct inquiries about potential
topics of study, to have a hands-on educational experience instead of a strictly textbook-focused
education, to take responsibility for their educational decisions, to experience the emotional and
physical side of education, to understand how education and community are related, and to have
personal choice in the focus of their classroom studies.

What is Virtual Education?

Virtual education refers to instruction in a learning environment where teacher and student are
separated by time or space, or both, and the teacher provides course content through course
management applications, multimedia resources, the Internet, videoconferencing, etc. Students
receive the content and communicate with the teacher via the same technologies.

 Courses taught entirely online, where physical distance between teacher and student is
immaterial.

 Another name for e-learning, but referring more to electronically aided learning
conducted without any face-to-face components.

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 Online-based education

 Education through ICT tools, also called E-learning, now also called U-learning
(education anywhere), still in development.

 A form of education which is outside the classroom or partially outside the classroom
that is based on taking advantage of the telematics potential of the Internet to carry out
formal or other types of education, by means of learning activities supported
by virtual learning environments

 It includes aspects of both online and e-learning but goes somewhat further. While it is
largely web-centric it does not necessarily limit itself to learners outside a conventional
classroom. It uses multimedia and, besides delivering content, also enables a high level of
interaction among learners, content, teachers, peers and administration both
synchronously and asynchronously.

 A distance education system that has the virtue to improve the learning process
exclusively using new information and communication technologies.

A virtual learning environment (VLE) in educational technology is a Web-based platform for

the digital aspects of courses of study, usually within educational institutions. VLEs typically:
1. allow participants to be organized into cohorts, groups and roles
2. present resources, activities and interactions within a course structure
3. provide for the different stages of assessment
4. Report on participation; and have some level of integration with other institutional
systems.
Virtual learning comes in several forms:

 Computer-Based: Instruction is not provided by a teacher; instead, instruction is provided

by software installed on a local computer or server. This software can frequently
customize the material to suit the specific needs of each student.
 Internet-Based: This is similar to computer-based instruction, but in this case, the
software that provides the instruction is delivered through the Web and stored on a
remote server.
 Remote Teacher Online: Instruction is provided by a teacher, but that teacher is not
physically present with the student. Instead, the teacher interacts with the student via the
Internet, through such media as online video, online forums, e-mail and instant
messaging.
 Blended Learning: This combines traditional face-to-face instruction, directed by a
teacher, with computer-based, Internet-based or remote teacher online instruction. In

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effect, instruction comes from two sources: a traditional classroom teacher, and at least
one of the forms of virtual learning described above.
 Facilitated Virtual Learning: This is computer-based, Internet-based or remote teacher
online instruction that is supplemented by a human ―facilitator.‖ This facilitator does not
direct the student‘s instruction, but rather assists the student‘s learning process by
providing tutoring or additional supervision. The facilitator may be present with the
learner or communicating remotely via the Web or other forms of electronic
communication.

Similar forms of virtual learning are sometimes grouped into broader categories:

 Online Learning: This is any form of instruction that takes place over the Internet. It
includes Internet-based instruction; remote teacher online instruction; and blended
learning and facilitated virtual learning that involves these two virtual learning methods.
It excludes computer-based learning.
 Full-Time Online: This is online learning with no regular face-to-face instruction or
facilitation. It is Internet-based and remote teacher online learning only, though it may
include some occasional interaction with human teachers and facilitators.

Online learning has become increasingly popular in primary and secondary schooling over the
last decade. The K-12 online education market is growing by an estimated 30 percent annually.
Nationally, course enrollments in online classes rose from about 45,000 in 2000 to 320,000 in
2009. According to the nonprofit International Association for K-12 Online Learning, nearly
every state allows at least some students to enroll in online learning programs and schools to
some degree.[1]

“Virtual learning” is also known as “digital learning” or “e-learning.”

Advantages and disadvantages

Advocates of online schools and online learning point to a number of advantages:

 There is a lack of costly and tiring travel involved; with a much greater dependability of
lessons. Weather disrupting transport is almost irrelevant (though an area subject to frequent
power cuts will suffer consequent disruptions—similarly common health disruptions
through minor illness or injury, will not halt learning, because the physical demands are so
much less. Transcripts of lessons can plug short absences.
 Many students and pupils who have personal or health conditions that make physical
school difficult or impossible, can manage online school.
 Control of bullying is easier, as access to a group can be instantly adjusted when a problem
is raised e.g. a bully can be 'gagged' i.e. placed on observer, without ability to input actively.

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They can also be closed out instantly pending investigation. The automatic recording of all
exchanges is a powerful investigation aid; although this has privacy implications it is also a
reassurance.
 Individuals and families who need flexible arrangements due to moving about, find online
school suits requirements. However, synchronous learning in live lessons does impose limits
due to time zones, which tends to divide online schools in Europe and Asia from North
America.
 The integration of internet resources provides a huge library of content, and students/
pupils quickly become adept at online research. Independent minded students, those with
specialist skills and ambitions, can develop at their own preferred pacing using net resources.
 There is a greater flexibility for self-learners or gifted students to explore learning beyond
the standard curriculum.
 Online schools can be equalizers, as age, appearance, and background are far less
obvious. Groups can be categorized by personal ability.
 Students and pupils benefit from exposure to others in different cultures of the world,
which enriches understanding of history, geography, religions and politics, and develops
social skills.
 Part-time students with jobs or family commitments, benefit from the flexibility of online
schedules, although this may not apply so much to synchronous, live, online learning.

What are Open Educational Resources (OERs)?

There is no one, standard definition of Open Educational Resources. However, the following
broad definition of OERs from OER Commons seems to be generally accepted by the
community:

Open Educational Resources (OER) are teaching and learning materials that are freely
available online for everyone to use, whether you are an instructor, student or self-
learner. Examples of OER include: full courses, course modules, syllabi, lectures,
homework assignments, quizzes, lab and classroom activities, pedagogical materials,
games, simulations, and many more resources contained in digital media collections
from around the world.

The term Open Educational Resources (OER) was first introduced at a conference hosted by
UNESCO in 2000 and was promoted in the context of providing free access to educational
resources on a global scale. As mentioned above, there is no authoritatively accredited definition
for the term OER at present, with the OECD preferring, 'digitised materials offered freely and

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openly for educators, students and self-learners to use and reuse for teaching, learning and
research' (OECD, 2007).
OER initiatives aspire to provide open access to high-quality education resources on a global
scale. From large institution-based or institution-supported initiatives to numerous small-scale
activities, the number of OER related programmes and projects has been growing quickly within
the past few years.

According to OECD in 2007, there are materials from more than 3000 open access courses (open
courseware) currently available from over 300 universities worldwide:

 In the United States resources from thousands of courses have been made available by
university-based projects, such as MIT OpenCourseWare and Rice University‘s
Connexions project: (http://ocw.mit.edu/, http://cnx.rice.edu/ )

 In China, materials from 750 courses have been made available by 222 university
members of the China Open Resources for Education (CORE)
consortium.(http://www.core.org.cn/en/).

 In Japan, resources from more than 400 courses have been made available by the19
member universities of the Japanese OCW Consortium. (http://www.jocw.jp/).

 In France, 800 educational resources from around 100 teaching units have been made
available by the 11 member universities of the Paris Tech OCW project.
(http://graduateschool.paristech.org/).

 In Ireland, universities received government funding to build open access institutional

repositories and to develop a federated harvesting and discovery service via a national
portal. It is intended that this collaboration will be expanded to embrace all Irish research
institutions. (http://www.irel-open.ie/).

 And in the UK, the Open University has released a range of its distance learning
materials via the Open Learn project (http://openlearn.open.ac.uk/), and over 80 UKOER
projects have released many resources (via Jorum) which are used to support teaching in
institutions and across a range of subject areas.

Open Educational Resources (OERs) are any type of educational materials that are in the
public domain or introduced with an open license. The nature of these open materials means

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that anyone can legally and freely copy, use, adapt and re-share them. OERs range from
textbooks to curricula, syllabi, lecture notes, assignments, tests, projects, audio, video and
animation.

For example, if you are interested in learning about aeronautical engineering from a science whiz
at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), you can check out lecture notes and videos
from MIT courses.
The Vision for a Health OER Network in Africa is an OER initiative started by experts in health
science institutions across Africa to openly share health education materials. These materials are
used by health professionals in Africa to enhance their knowledge and training, as well as by
students and educators around the world.
Another OER started by the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands includes courses
on clean water technology for developing countries. These resources have been updated by
universities in South Africa, Singapore, the Antilles and Indonesia to include information on
water treatment processes from their regions, making a collaborative resource on drinking water
engineering available online to anyone who wishes to learn more.

Moodle learning:
Moodle is a free and open-source learning management system written in PHP and distributed
under the GNU General Public License. Developed on pedagogical principles,[5][6] Moodle is
used for blended learning, distance education, flipped classroom and other e-learning projects in
schools, universities, workplaces and other sectors.
With customizable management features, it is used to create private websites with online courses
for educators and trainers to achieve learning goals. Moodle (acronym for modular object-
oriented dynamic learning environment) allows for extending and tailoring learning
environments using community sourced plugins.
Moodle is an acronym for „Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment‟ and
was originally developed by Martin Dougaimas in 2002. Today Moodle has been adopted by
over 230 countries where Moodle communities thrive. As an open source platform, Moodle users
benefit from a global community of developers who are actively engaged in improving the user
experience.

What is Moodle learning system?

Moodle is a learning platform designed to provide educators, administrators and learners with
a single robust, secure and integrated system to create personalized learning environments.
You can download the software onto your own web server or ask one of our
knowledgeable Moodle Partners to assist you.
Moodle is built by the Moodle project which is led and coordinated by Moodle HQ, which is
financially supported by a network of over 80 Moodle Partner service companies worldwide
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 Built for learning, globally

 Proven and trusted worldwide
 Designed to support both teaching and learning
 Easy to use
 Free with no licensing fees
 Always up-to-date
 Moodle in your language
 All-in-one learning platform
 Highly flexible and fully customizable
 Scalable to any size
 Robust, secure and private
 Use anytime, anywhere, on any device
 Extensive resources available
 Built for learning, globally
 Proven and trusted worldwide

Moodle is an Open Source Learning Management System that is used by tens

of millions people worldwide. Why?
Because Moodle is 80% more cost effective and matches leading competitors feature for feature.
Traditionally an open source software used by education institutions to provide distance learning
for students—Moodle is now used by enterprises around the world for online training and
learning.
As a highly flexible LMS, Moodle can be used to conduct courses online or to support face-to-
face teaching, learning and training. It can also be extended with over 500 plugins for
assignments, quizzes, grading, certification, and social and collaborative learning.

Unit no 5
Problems of distance education
Distance learning is the new rage in the world of education. Valuable as it is, distance learning is
still nothing more than a new use of familiar machine. And machines, no matter how good, do
not run themselves. People run machines.

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The very idea behind distance learning (DL) is to deliver education that does not constrain the
students to be physically present in the same location as the instructor. This way of continuous
education and professional preparedness in various applied studies enables the student
community to play a constructive role in their respective communities. Thus the most important
part of DL is not the system, it is the people who will be learning from that system.

Nowadays, initiation and development of public oriented models of DL education has become
essential for the exceptional and unexpected future conditions of the respective nation. Indeed
DL education is effectively adopted worldwide in countries as diverse in political and social
systems as Australia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Britain, Thailand, China, Canada, India, Holland,
Japan and the common wealth independent countries. This form of education trains the students
in self-learning mechanisms while enhancing their intellectual and thinking abilities. Thus DL is
gaining in popularity due to two inbuilt tools, ‗Self-motivation‘ and ‗Self-discipline‘. Self-
motivation is one‘s inner spirit; the self-drive that makes you capable of doing whatever you put
your mind to do.

The major practical issues that influence DLS can be classified as following:

1. Physical isolation of students: for the majority of each instructional process

2. Use of educational media and technology: to unite teacher and learner and carry course
contents
3. Student support services: communication between teacher, tutor or educational agency
and the learner.

Student support services:

This vital characteristic is encouraged by most of the developing Nations around the world.
This mutual relationship leads the Nation to the leading edge technology. Most industrial
design and development strategies should be supported (directly/indirectly) with
collaboration between academicians and their industrial counterparts.

The art of DL can now be more aptly applied to the booming software development
organizations (SDO), in terms of supporting the latest information through teleconferencing
or television or web. This will eliminate the very presence of the SDO staff such as,
developers, project managers, and team leaders. This should also provide flexibility for the
above staff in terms of timing/venue/subjective material. This virtually requires the SDO to
configure their training units towards improving their product development as well as
process improvement. This looks more economical to the SDO and stands as a source of
income to the academic institutions. This will also improve the productivity and quality of
the software products.

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Proper monitoring by the authorities of respective institute can change the situation, facilitate
learners and provide base for attainment of objectives of institute.
Workshop is conducted at the end of each semester. Mostly, tutors assign topics to learners for
presentations during the workshop. Appointed resource persons also deliver lectures on assigned
topics. Workshop activities are part of teaching learning process and as a part of assessment of
distance learners

Once or twice in a year, (call it Contact Classes of the DL program) students come together to
attend conferences and seasonal parties, exchange their views and email addresses, share food,
and have a more traditional classroom experience. This is intended to clear student-teacher
communication gaps (if any) during the period of online degree program.

We propose the following factors for an effective DL communication to simulate the

traditional classroom communication with in DLS:

1. The quality of the course material. This is more subjective, but should not
be like a traditionally published textbook. This should contain more
examples and less theoretical stress. In addition to mentioning the overall
goals of the book, each chapter should have a clear indication of its
objective(s) and its connection to preceding/succeeding chapters.
2. The quality of the instructor. Self-motivated, truly devoted to teaching,
allowing the student to talk first.
3. The quality of the students. Intelligent questioning, motivation towards
higher studies, analysis before each experiment, individual thinking
capability.
4. The quality and frequency of the interaction (via Internet, TV, phone).
This varies from program to program; more frequent meeting with
undergraduate students over graduate students is a positive sign for a DL
program.
5. The quality of Curricula preparations, assignments and solutions.
Preparation of separate and restricted curricula/assignments in time and their
availability over the web to simulate a DL program with a traditional
classroom program. The type of examinations should be more relaxed (when
compared to regular classroom students) for the DL program candidates. In
DL program more weight should be given to take home tests and
assignments, unlike the regular classroom student program.
Physical isolation of students:
The second prominent problem indicated by a prominent group (14.32%) was that study centers,
workshop venues and examination centers are mostly far away from the residences of learners.
An institution also does not provide any transport to facilitate learners on the other hand.
Therefore, distance learners face problems to reach on the venue on time. The reason for the

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problem is that distance learners belong to remote areas. Distance education institution cannot
facilitate learners providing opportunity to have a study center or examination center near to the
home of each one. The problem can only be solved by using technology in testing.
 However, this can only be possible if modern communication technologies and necessary
tools are available to all distance learners. Analysis of demographic characteristics of
distance learners help to conclude that most of the distance learners belong to rural areas
of Pakistan where modern communication media such as electronic mail is not available
and if available then each one cannot afford it. Therefore, problem of distance learners is
important and needs solution. One possible solution of the problem can be that
responsible persons at study centers can help students in arranging the transport during
workshop and examination dates. Distance learners can bear the transport charges in this
regard. Other solution can be to arrange accommodation near to the study centers during
examination and workshop days on nominal charges.
 Workshops play vital role in learning by lectures of experts and peer groups during the
workshop days. Workshops must be arranged in suitable environment keeping in view
the physical and academic needs of the distance learners.

In distance education system, study packages normally sent to learners by postal services
or by electronic mail. In the correspondence model, all study packages are mailed to
learners by postal services. Distance learners study materials sent by the institutions at
home or work place, prepare their assignments and prepare themselves for other
assessment tasks as according to the given schedules. However, unluckily, if they do not
receive the study packages from the university on time, they can never prepare
themselves for the assessments designed for them. No receiving of roll number
slip/examination entry card by students means he/ she cannot appear in the examination
too. The situation on the other hand becomes a reason for the failure of the students and
achievement of goals and targets of the programs as well. Therefore, problem is serious
in nature and institutions must realize that it is necessary to be solved.

Media and technology:

Media and Technology can be distinguished. The term media describes generic
form of communication association with particular ways representing
knowledge. Each medium not only has its own unique way presenting
knowledge, but also organizing it.
With regard to cognitive learning goals, individual guidance over modern media
and technology would appear to be valuable as a medium for fulfilling the
certain teaching functions, they are:
• Activating Motivation
• Directing attention

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• Stimulating recall of relevant prerequisites

• Providing learning guidance
• Providing feedback (Baath, 1979).

Role of Media in Distance Education

Distance education is inevitably linked to media and technology. The organizational pattern and
operating practices of a distance education facility are generally based upon the same educational
philosophy as conventional system. However the use of media is greater in Distance Learning.

Awareness of Technology
Far most important aspect of Distance Education is awareness of Media and
Technology. First, all teachers who discharge the duties as counselors at
study centers should aware the different types Media and Technology and
how to use them in distance mode of education. The University should equip
required set of Media and Technology at their study centers. Some Open
Universities are providing certain Media and Technology such as radio, TV,
audio tapes, video tapes, Tele-Conferencing, CD-ROMs, Computer with
limited Internet facilities to their study centers through which students avail
them during contact classes and use their leisure time. But these facilities are
not providing opportunities to use them by all the students who enrolled at
particular study centers.
One of the main problems is the counselors are not well aware of the use of
Media and Technology because of their traditional mind set up and rural
background. If they are trained in using Media and Technology, at least they
can use them at study centers during contact classes. Then students get
awareness and learn how to use them. Therefore ―Media and Technology‖
should be introduced as one of the subjects for all courses in Distance
Education. If this subject becomes compulsory then students will acquire the
knowledge of various forms of media and use of them and few practical
classes to be conducted with the help of self-instructed material (SIM). The
attitudes of the learners would change and they will attract to these new
technologies. This reinforces them to self-study in achieving their aims and
objectives.
Hence, awareness of Media and Technology is one of the most important factors
that play vital role in assuring the quality of Education, and it is must in
Distance Education because there if formal class and face to face teaching
and learning. Another problem is associated with this aspect is, the socio-
economic background of students. 62 Many of them belong to remote rural
areas and backward class, so they are not exposed to these new

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technologies. If the special care taken and more interactive sessions are
conducted at study centers in new environment would help them to get
aware of new media and technology. In my case study also it is evident that
and indicated in below table-1, at Under-Graduate level 166 distance
students out of 300 have awareness of Radio educational and TV
educational programs, but only 40 students have got knowledge of Internet.
The students who are aware of these media and technologies have
background of urban and better economic conditions. Though there is
availability of certain media and technology at study centers are not used
fully by the students because of their geographical, socio and economic
conditions.

Adoption of Technology:
Awareness of technology leads to the adoption of them. Once awareness society
is created then slowly the student community will try to adopt the
technology. Adoption is need based. Purchasing and maintaining
appropriate equipment, and training teachers and facilitators to use it
effectively, are necessary conditions. There are other factors involved, many
of which are affective rather than cognitive, such as user friendliness and the
ability to implement learner support. But many universities are traditionally
hierarchical and bureaucratic, 63 whereas new technologies challenge this
model.
Cheap computer facilities and network infrastructures must be integrated with appropriate software
systems in Pakistan.  An advanced methodology is needed to help the instructors or administers to
minimize hesitation to adopt technology during distance education.  In our country adaptation of
advancement technology is very costly for common man.

Media Selection Issues

There is a large number of technologies available for the delivery of distance education course.
Selecting the medium is an important part of the efficiency of that course. Each medium has its
own strengths and weaknesses, and these should be matched to the nature of the learning setting.
The medium selection process should be undertaken for each course and each program, since
they all have different requirements depending on the objectives, learners, and learning
environment.

To use the media more effectively we can take the following measures.

The most important issue deals with identifying both the barriers and incentives in using distance
delivered education through media.

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Other major issues in distance education:

In distance education system, students face a lot of problems. Students‘ learning in distance
education mode is quite different from that of traditional educational system. Majority of the
distance education system have an experience of life and work and are part time learners. Such
learners have the responsibilities of their work and families. According to Gunn (1982) the
primary issue of distance learners is ‗how to study‘ in this system (Distance Education).
Robinson (1981) further described the list of difficulties confronted the distance learners;
 Lack of time due to work;
 Difficulties in concentration;
 Family and work commitments;
 Organization of time and planning;
 Lack of motivation

 Study skills, resources, anxiety & isolation Robert (1984) pronounces that students studying at
a distance education system may face such problems;
 Non-receipt of subject material
 Inability to procure texts
 Need for extensions
 Advice concerning subjects for re-enrollment
 Problems relate to examinations
 Advice on study techniques
 Advice regarding residential school procedures
 Problems in understanding subject content
 Difficulties in receiving quick and meaningful feedback
 Lack of motivation
 Lack of confidence and fear of failure

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 Lack of physical resources.

The Required Actions for DLS Improvement

Here we propose a set of needed actions for betterment of DLS. These actions also, very
much essential for implementing the above proposed initiatives and recommendations.

a) The university should involve the cross section of the core faculty for the
improvement of the DLS, especially the technology-mediated courses [8].
b) For the purpose of monitoring the student progress, there should be some advisers
available on campus.
c) There should be a strong Web infrastructure, essential for supporting course
development and delivery; so as to cope up with competitive Web or Network based
education.
d) The university management support or assistance (monitory and technical) should be
on a continuous basis for maintaining and improving the DLS
e) In order to establish the best DL practices, we should look at new-technology,
research findings, and assessment tools that support dynamic leading edge technology.
This is particularly useful for the under developed countries, to rise and compete with the
socio economic changes. In this connection, Internet and intranet are two useful tools
coupled with the object oriented technology act as a part and parcel of any DLS
f) There should be a close link between the DLS and the university information
technology services to develop a better infrastructure and support services.
g) One should create a simulated science laboratory for conducting certain necessary
online experiments. This is very much recommended for the design and deliver of certain
laboratory courses.
h) One should promote inter campus sharing of resources to treat the DL students on par
with the regular classroom students. This makes it easier for the DL reader to follow the
supplied course material, which can be at different levels such as inter college or inter
university or intercontinental.
i) Establish a public relation office to estimate market trends, track potential students
with comprehensive information regarding the university DLS.
j) Arrange needed financial support for new curriculum development and ongoing
course support.

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