The evolution of distance education is inevitable and will be, according to Dr. Simonson, used across the board in all levels of education. Due to this, distance education providers will need to continue to find ways to provide their students with the best possible education no matter what platform they choose to study in to achieve this goal. The conventional f2f education will eventually all incorporate forms of distance education within its study and will need to be able to make that form of study work in order to provide the necessary elements for its students to succeed. I agree, distance educational institutions have come a long way from the original self study at a distance education and have now grown to student teacher interaction while studying at a distance. Distance education institutions and their instructors must be able to provide its students with a similar curriculum as would a f2f institution while using tools found in the distance education scenario that would normally not be found in the conventional setting to its favor. This will allow these institutions to give their students an advantage of receiving a well-rounded education given the format of an education received in an unconventional manner.
Laureate Education, Inc. (2008). Principles of distance education. Baltimore: Author.
Huett, J., Moller, L., Forshay, W. & Coleman, C. (2008, September/October). The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the Web (Part 3: K12). TechTrends, 52(5), 63-67.
Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Huett, J. (2008, May/June). The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the Web (Part1: Training and Development). TechTrends, 52(3), 66-70.
Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Huett, J. (2008, July/August). The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the Web (Part 2: Higher Education). TechTrends, 52(4), 66-70.
I like how you open with "The evolution of distance education is inevitable". This concept is a train that can not be stopped!! As technology advances weekly or possibly daily, the education system should be riding its coat tail. Through the advancement of distance education programs, will come a big push for training educators and incorporating this style of learning in all levels of education.
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