Brazil for instance was successful in its Program for Training in-Service Teachers called PROFORMACAO, a national project that provides distance education to unqualified elementary school teachers. Similarly, in Arab states where some of the poorest countries in the world are found, educational programs were designed to practically address the basic needs of its citizens. The Sudan Open Learning Organization for example provides adult literacy program, primary health care program, income-generating and small business skills and training for basic level teachers.
Distance education all over the world has a great breadth; it ranges from early childhood education to elementary and secondary schools, tertiary levels and post graduate levels, and even to special learners. New Zealand is notable for having a good mix of distance education institutions. It has a Correspondence School that caters to early childhood and secondary school students; the Massey University for post-secondary and tertiary students and the Open Polytechnic of New Zealand for trade specialists. Delivery of distance education takes in various means and ways such as printed study guides and textbooks, broadcast television and radio programs, computer software, CD-ROMS, audio-video cassette tapes, electronic media, face-to-face tutorials in study centers, computer-mediated conferencing,
... The case of the Netherlands is unique because distance study is self-paced. Students enrolled in degree programs at the Open Universiteit of the Netherlands can enroll at any time and "there is no cohort of students following a prescribed study pattern." They can decide for themselves when to take examinations and can obtain learning materials from the university's electronic network called Studiener.
To address technological and knowledge gaps between nations, the World Bank and United Nations Educational, Science, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) have implemented programs for distance learning. The World Bank believes that technical know-how is needed by poor countries to improve its economy thus, suggests that "poorer countries have the option of acquiring and adapting much knowledge already available in richer countries." It has set up distance learning centers in developing countries in a program called Global Development Learning Network. Its Global Distance Education Network is another project that is part of knowledge dissemination strategy. Meanwhile, UNESCO supposes that the best strategy to help developing countries is to "make the best use of culturally-relevant and affordable information and communication technologies" so it designed in 2002 a special course "Information and Communications Technologies in Distance Learning" specifically for policy makers and distance education practitioners in developing countries.
Distance Education Man has always thirsted for education and improvement of self. The ability to cognate and reason distinguishes man as superior to other species. From the Greeks to the Romans in Europe, to the Chinese and the Indians in the Asian subcontinent, to the American Indian tribes of North America and the Mayans from South America, ecivilization has displayed formal or informal educational structures. These edifices were the building blocks
Distance learning, sometimes called "distance education" is, according to Kerka (1996), a method of education in which the learner is physically separated from the professor and the institution sponsoring the instruction. Distance education may be used on its own, or in conjunction with other forms of education, including face-to-face instruction. The advent of television and, indeed, the whole complex of newer communications media (from video to satellites) has given American citizens
A similar trend was seen in many areas of U.S. society, such as the restriction of medicinal claims on products and other trends that began in the same decade. It was very interesting to find that the U.S. Armed Forces had any part in distance education, and specifically how broad the areas of study offered by the U.S. Armed Forces Institute. The student base of about 500,000 is also interesting
This is counter to the points made later in the article regarding distance education theory (Najjar, 2008) and its impact on a more individualized approach to distance instruction. Arguably the impact of higher-speed collaborative technologies of which the Internet is the most pervasive are shifting these theories and making dialogue-based theories, including social networking-based concepts of shared collaboration more relevant and effective. The use of collaborative classrooms online for
Sometimes "book" knowledge is not the only applicable solution to a problem, and real, direct experience is a much better solution in situations such as these. As Foley concludes, "The aim will be to mine the implicit knowledge of practitioners rather than the explicit knowledge of the textbook, through a process of storytelling and the building of communities of practice" (Foley). This seems to take distance education in a
In addition, the structure and presentation of required, basic course material are more goal-oriented and motivating to meet the needs of students. While critics initially charged that Net-based learning was vastly inferior to traditional classroom settings, some now wonder if traditional education will survive as the transformational possibilities of Net-based learning, teaching and developing course content are fully realized. The answer is a resounding 'yes'. The reason is that net-based