Distance Education and its Relation with Media

Abstract

This paper tries to give a general over view of distance education and
its relation with media. What is distance education? It is a multimedia
educational process in which the teacher and the student may
or may not meet in a face-to-face situation (Rawson-Jones, 1973).
For Heinich et al., (1996), distance education is a form of education
characterized by physical separation of learners from the teacher, an
organized instructional program, technological media and two way
communication. According to Marew (2002:21), "Most experts in the
field agree that distance education is a system of education offered
by someone who is removed in space and time from the learner. n
Further, he explained that due to advancements in satellite
communication technology and expansion in the financial sector, an
effective two way communication was made possible in distance
education. Another writer, Berg (1998) noted that distance education
is a system of education which involves issues like strategic planning,
access and technical support of technology for the trainer as well as
for the trainee. It also considers centralization and decentralization of
technology, financial support, and careful evaluation procedures.
Berg also mentioned that distance education can be practiced on the
continuum of models along a line from technologically mediated
learning that supplements traditional classroom training to a model in
which all teaching and learning are done with no face-to-face contact.