Distance learning refers to any form of education outside the walls of a traditional academic institution. Essentially, this education format does not require a student’s physical presence in a classroom setting. It can utilize a combination of technologies, including correspondence, audio, video, computer, and the Internet. Psst! Here at landofstudies.com, you can find suitable online courses (free and paid courses) and learn at your own pace(you get certificates at the end of each course).

Today’s version of distance education is online education, which uses computers and the Internet as the delivery mechanism with at least 80% of the course content delivered online. Distance learning is not a new phenomenon by any means. This concept has been around since the early days of formal education. But in 2020, the evolution of distance learning had reached exponential levels. As the Covid-19 pandemic spread throughout the world, mass school closures followed, forcing schools to quickly adapt. While college students and adult learners were no strangers to distance learning, for students in primary and secondary schools, this was a whole new ball game. But as days go by, especially with the advancement in technology, distance learning has taken a new dimension.

IN THIS ARTICLE, WE DISCUSS THE EVOLUTION OF DISTANCE LEARNING IN 2021 AND EXPLORE FUTURE CHANGES AWAITING ONLINE EDUCATION.

In more recent times, the internet has proven the most effective way to access lessons, both in real-time and after the fact. Before Covid-19 there were many reasons why people could not be in a physical setting to conduct their learning. As mentioned above, universities and adult education facilities have long been using distance education to serve people who have work or family commitments that prevent them from being in a physical location at the time of a lesson.

Many studies have reported that work will become more blended, with less time spent in the office as working from home increases. Many industries have found they can move online effectively, making it an authentic workplace. While the first place to find a service or product is an online search engine. Professionals need to translate their skills into any environment physical or virtual and have confidence to use new spaces and formats.

PERSONALIZED TEACHING

Where student mobility is increasingly under scrutiny, online learning gives teachers or tutors the chance to schedule one-on-one time with struggling students, without the distractions of other students. Shy students can also feel bolder about asking for clarification when not surrounded by their peers. By interacting with e-learning solutions, students have taken a further step in being proficient at navigating their education in an online setting. Through creating digital classrooms, schools have also become more tech-savvy and are using this new knowledge to enhance their teaching practice, whether students are physically at school or learning at home.

TIME AND PHYSICAL DISTANCE

While distance education conjures up images of online learning sites and web conferences, it has a longer history that predates the internet. Distance learning is simply defined as the process of transferring knowledge to learners who are separated from the instructor by time or physical distance For students with disability in primary and high schools, remote learning is a way to get one-on-one support and work with a specialized syllabus and platform, an opportunity they may not get in a conventional classroom. It also serves advanced students who undertake extension courses that are not offered in their school, or students who are separated from their peers by geographical distance.

ACCESSIBILITY AND EXPANDABILITY

The idea (and, for some, fear) that technology could replace human instructors in education is not something unique to our lifetime. Back in 1923, Thomas Edison argued that video clips would completely replace teachers and books! The truth is, learners are seeking high-quality information and a learning experience in a more accessible format. During the pandemic, we saw that remote learning served as a key component that allowed so many students to continue learning despite stay-at-home orders and, later, school closures or hybrid learning environments. In fact, remote learning was a critical component in allowing so many people to stay home and support efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19.

During the early days of the pandemic, students were able to harness the power of mobile devices, like phones and tablets, to shift to a remote learning environment, gaining the ability to access content from anywhere. In addition to accessibility, remote learning solves the problem of classroom size; the combination of technology and flexible class sizes makes remote learning more convenient and inclusive for learners and increases access to high-quality learning material.

ADVANCEMENT IN TECHNOLOGY​

Technological advancement has brought distance learning to a much wider audience. As a result, schools have had to create or fast-track online education plans to get teachers and students on board with the latest technology as quickly as possible. A collection of software applications and platforms to facilitate online education are already in place, though further improvement is needed to make these tools easier to learn and use.

In the spring of 2020, the Education Week Research Center surveyed K-12 educators nationwide, asking how the coronavirus school closures have influenced the role and use of technology in K-12 education. More than eight in 10 teachers believed that their ability to use the technology improved, and that this made them better, more innovative educators. They reported becoming more tech-savvy in using different learning platforms and some planned to continue using the new tools when their buildings reopened. Most were doing at least some instruction online and half were exclusively online.

CONCLUSION

However, distance learning is not a new way of teaching. It can be traced back to as early as the 18th century. Its evolution and progression over the years run parallel with innovations in communications technology, and most recently with the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. Distance learning continues to grow in popularity. It is far from a new phenomenon, but it continues to reach new heights as the developments in technology advance. This article details the evolution of distance education beginning with correspondence and the use of parcel post, to radio, then to television, and finally to online education through different platforms.

While there is a growing body of research on online education, the field’s evolution has unsettled earlier findings and posed new areas of investigation. It is necessary to investigate and understand the progression and advancements in educational technology and the variety of methods used to deliver knowledge in order to improve the quality of education we provide today.