Чеботарева И.Г.

Национальный технический университет Украины «КПИ»

DISTANCE LEARNING AND THE INTERNET

IN EDUCATION

Distance learning seems to be a force contributing much to social and economic development. At present it’s fast becoming an indispensable part of educational systems in all countries of the world. This can be explained by the great interest among educators towards new, Internet based and multimedia technologies and also by the recognition that traditional ways of organizing education need to be reorganized and reinforced by innovative methods.

The globalization of distance education provides many opportunities for developing countries for the realization of their education system-wide goals. Two main factors have led to an explosion of interest in distance learning: the growing need for continual skills upgrading and retraining; and the technological advances that have made it possible to teach more and more subjects at a distance. The rapid development of information and communication technologies (ICT) and the move towards more knowledge-intensive, interdependent and internationalized societies create new challenges and opportunities for the design and delivery of education. ICT open up new horizons for progress and the exchange of creativity and intercultural dialogue.

For the student/learner open and distance learning means increased access and flexibility as well as the combination of work and education. It may also mean a more learner-centered approach, enrichment, higher quality and new ways of interaction. For employers it offers high quality and usually cost-effective professional development in the workplace. It allows upgrading of skills, increased productivity and development of a new learning culture. In addition, it means sharing of costs, of training time, and increased portability of training. [1]

The potential impact of distance learning on all education delivery systems has been greatly accentuated through the development of Internet-based information technologies, and in particular the World Wide Web.

There are a lot of factors in favour of the Net in education indicating its place as an educational technology. First of all, it’s social acceptance. The Net has reached a greater penetration in society than most other educational technologies. Its profile is high and it is the subject of huge financial investment from major corporations who are keen to make the Net central to their strategy. It’s a medium through which many people perform everyday functions, such as booking their holidays, buying their groceries, contacting their children at college and diagnosing medical ailments. The Net is transforming almost every aspect of commerce and services. It is not a technology in which educators alone see the benefit, but rather one where the students themselves have a great deal of experience and enthusiasm for its use. This factor will become increasingly important as the “Net generation” enters higher education or training. [2]

The next factor in favour of the Net is the cost. Web based material is not as cheap as many people think. However , producing a Web based course will probably be cheaper than producing and airing a professional 30-minute television programme or full CD ROM.

Next advantage of the Web is that the web browser has become a generic interface. Users feel familiar with a Web browser. Having used the same interface for buying their groceries, doing their banking and sending e-mails, learners find that using the browser to access educational material removes some of the anxiety about the educational experience itself.

The fourth factor that favours the Net as an educational technology is that it is both an interactive and personal medium. Interactivity is one of the key areas where the Net differs from traditional broadcasting media.

The last reason for commending the Net as a survivable educational technology with significant impact is its ability to function as a disruptive technology, which both alters the organization in which it is implemented, and reaches a very different audience.

The Net can be an effective educational technology only when it is employed properly. There are some key factors that determine how successfully an educator or university adopts it. First of all, it shouldn’t be implemented as a mass medium. Merely using the Net as a distribution mechanism misses one of its key points. Broadcasting lectures over the airwaves is not a meaningful educational experience and many people make the same mistake with the Net. Educators need to find ways of using the new medium effectively. It is a two-way medium and this is what makes it ideal for use as an educational technology.

The Net shouldn’t be adopted in isolation. If an organization intends to adopt an Internet based approach then it needs to do across all its process. At the institutional level the Net needs to be implemented across all its units. This means rethinking every aspect of the course, including delivery of materials, the content students have access to, the pedagogy underlying the course, the social significance for students. [2]

The Net is a very new and fluid medium so it will be changing and adapting. Using the Net educators should be prepared to experiment and change their learning approaches.

The next step for the successful use of the Net is making it central to the course.

The Net offers a number of possible advantages over some of the technologies that have gone before. These are partly a result of its ease of use, its penetration in society, but mainly because it is essentially a communication medium.

Literature:

1. Open and distance learning. Trends, policy and strategy considerations.

UNESCO 2002.

2. Martin Weller. Delivering learning on the Net-the why, what and how of online education. London, New York, 2002.