Studying and learning, away from a physical institution has been around for over a century. As a matter of fact, Distance Learning (DL) is more than 150 years old and has been a practical option for many students and institutions. The advances in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) have accelerated the interest in DL to an unprecedenteddegree. A growing use of DL methods is being implemented throughout post-secondary education. Many higher education institutions are adopting distance and online learning as the next logical step in educational delivery systems, as we can witness in this modern era with all the offers on ways to obtaining a degree from a distant institution.
Distance learning is any type of instruction in which the student and instructor are separated by physical distance, in other words not in the same room. It is a medium of teaching and learning using modern technology so that teachers or students do not have to be together in the classroom. With the growth of distance learning programs, the online format has led to a growing interest in learning among adult learners and in continuing pursuit of their educational goals.
Distance learning was considered as the main instructional activities provided to other learning sites away from the main institutions by way of instructional technologies or faculty travel. Delivery of educational experiences on the main campus from remote sites was also considered. Although distance learning has for centuries influenced the American educational culture, it has recently acquired undisputed prominence at various learning institutions.
Various tests were conducted at a distant-learning university and differences in the learning styles of students with and without learning disabilities (LD) at an instance-learning university were examined. Two hundred and twelve students answered self-report questionnaires on their learning styles. Results revealed that students with LD preferred to use more stepwise processing, including memorizing and drilling, than NLD students. In addition, students with LD reported a higher need for self-regulation strategies than their NLD peers, including controlling their learning process, self-orientation, planning, monitoring, etc. Distant-learning institutions are being considered by many groups of students as a way to further their educations.
Distance learning poses new challenges for educators. In some cases, achieving student success can be as simple as preventing student withdrawals from distance learning courses. Distance learning gives educators the opportunity to teach their students both course content and how to become lifelong learners. If you like to learn new things, as life itself is a series of lessons, I believe that most everybody can benefit from distant learning studies.
