Distance Education I . Introduction of distance education—focus: 【T1】 and tech

Distance Education
   More and more universities around the world are offering opportunities for students to obtain degrees online from the comfort of their own homes, and many of these institutions are accredited, meaning that they have met certain standards of excellence.
    (1) Distance education or distance learning is a field of education that focuses on teaching methods and technology with the aim of delivering teaching, often on an individual basis, to students who are not physically present in a traditional educational setting such as a classroom.
   If you decide to take language courses online or any subject for that matter, be sure to evaluate the benefits of studying online vs. going abroad. (2) The advantages of studying online are that the costs are usually lower, you can study at your own pace, and you have access to the materials 24 hours a day from almost any computer in the world. (3) However, you won’t get the human interaction of meeting people face to face like you would if you were physically attending a school overseas. On the other hand, the advantages of going overseas may include day-to-day opportunities to learn a new culture, meeting new friends with whom you can use and practice the language, and chances to see different parts of the world. (4) However, there may be a number of disadvantages for some, including expenses, time away from one’s school, family, or work life, and the challenge of adapting to a new culture and way of life.
   Diana G. Obliger, writing specifically of the US context, has identified (5) four broad reasons why educational institutions might embrace distance learning.
   First, expanding access: Distance education can assist in meeting the demand for education and training demand from the general populace and businesses, especially because it offers greater possibility of flexibility.
    (6) Second, alleviating capacity constraints: Being mostly or entirely conducted off-site, the system reduces the demand on institutional infrastructure such as buildings.
    (7) Third, making money from emerging markets: She claims an increasing acceptance from the population of the value of lifelong learning beyond the normal schooling age, and that institutions can benefit financially from this by adopting distance education.
   Fourth, catalyst for institutional transformation: The competitive modern marketplace demands rapid change and innovation, for which she believes distance education programs can act as a catalyst.
    (8) The method of delivery of continuing education can include traditional types of classroom lectures and laboratories. However, (9) much continuing education makes heavy use of distance learning, which not only includes independent study, but can include videotaped/CD-ROM material, broadcast programming, online/Internet delivery and online interactive courses.
   In addition to independent study, the conference-type group study, which can include study networks as well as different types of seminars/workshops, can be used to facilitate learning.
    (10) Virtual education is a term describing online education using the Internet. This term is used in K-12 schooling, often to refer to cyber schools, and in higher education, where so-called virtual universities have been established. A virtual program is a study program in which all courses, or at least a significant portion of the courses, are virtual courses.