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…

The rapidly developing communications technologies (CT) have the potential to deliver education to more learners in more satisfactory ways. CT may overcome barriers to student participation in adult education, enable career educators to provide a higher level of career guidance to greater numbers, and facilitate currency in vocational preparation.…

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,…

When considering the role of technology in adult learning, adult educators must determine how to respond to technology and exploit it without diminishing the learning experience. Four approaches to integrating technology into adult learning are currently being used: technology as curriculum (adults not only learn content through technology but…

In order to identify and document the pervasive trends in the field of educational technology, an elaborate content review of the professional literature was performed. Literature examined included journals, conference proceedings, ERIC Resources in Education (RIE) documents, annuals and yearbooks, and dissertations. The trends that were…

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…

Distance education (DE) is increasingly seen as a powerful vehicle for delivering various types of education, including career and technical education (CTE). Fast-paced, pervasive changes in the economic, social, and technological foundations of education and educational delivery, including the increasing use of information and communications…