Distance education and online learning
What is the big idea? What is distance education? Not all education systems employ the conventional classroom approach. You may have come across correspondence courses or online learning programs. These and similar education systems where the learner and the educator is not in a traditional classroom environment are called distance learning systems. The student and teacher may be miles apart from each other. They may be in different states or countries, and connect and correspond through the internet or through the mail. There are several kinds of distance learning programs. In some programs, the course contents and study material are sent to the student via mail, who returns assignments and work back to the teacher the same way. In other programs, the teaching is done online, and the medium is video conferences and online discussion forums. Video and audio lectures are also used. Apart from such programs, there are also online tutors and students can also get homework help or assignme...