This digest focuses on the advantages of distance learning (DL) in teacher preparation, explaining that teacher candidates need to be ready to embrace rapidly changing technologies throughout their careers. Teacher education programs can extend the traditional uses of DL by bringing campus-based courses into school-based classrooms, expanding…

Distance education is an alternative method for delivering academic course work to students unable to attend traditional campus-based classes. This Digest presents information on the many forms of distance education and keys to successful teaching with distance education. Distance education is a method of education in which the learner is…

This digest explores media options as they relate to instructional design for distance education, because the function and design of each medium needs to be understood, if it is to lead to learning. It also describes other types of delivery media used in the history of distance learning before online learning programs: print, radio and telephone,…

Competence refers to a state of being well qualified to perform an activity, task, or job function. According to the International Board of Standards for Training, Performance and Instruction (IBSTPI), a competency involves a related set of knowledge, skills, and attitudes that enables a person to effectively perform the activities of a given…

Effective teaching at a distance is more the result of preparation than innovation. The distance educator can employ a number of strategies focusing on planning, student understanding, interaction, and teaching to ensure a successfully delivered course. This digest discusses six topics in teaching at a distance: (1) What's Different about Distance…

Instructional development provides a procedure and framework for systematically planning, developing, and adapting instruction based on identifiable learner needs and content requirements, a process essential in distance education. Although instructional development models and processes abound, the majority follow the same basic stages of design,…

Some of the newest methods of distance learning (DL) use the Internet and the World Wide Web. DL on the Internet usually takes one of the following forms: electronic mail; bulletin boards/newsgroups; downloading of course materials or tutorials; interactive tutorials on the Web; real-time, interactive conferencing; "intranets" (internal,…

Reduced training costs, worldwide accessibility, and improved technological capabilities have made Web-based training (WBT) a viable alternative to classroom instruction. WBT enables businesses to cut their training costs. Efficiency of operation is another major advantage of WBT. The flexibility of time, place, and programs offered via WBT…