The term distance education covers the various forms of study at all levels which are not under continuous, immediate supervision of tutors present with their students in lecture rooms or on the same premises, but which, nevertheless, benefit from the planning guidance and tuition of a tutorial organization.

SOURCE: Holmberg, B. 1989 Theory and practice of distance education. Routledge. London.
Dr. Börje Holmberg

Keegan (1990) defined distance education in terms of

• Separation of teacher and learner
• Use of Media
• Provision of two-way communication, and
• Influence of an educational system
• An industrial base operation

SOURCE: Keegan D (1990) Open learning: concepts and costs, successes and failures. In Atkinson R and McBeath C (eds) Open learning and new technology. Perth: ASET/Murdoch University, 230-243.

Dr. Desmond Keegan is Project Administrator of Multimedia WWW Kernel For Distance Learning.

"Distance education is planned learning that normally occurs in a different place from teaching and as a result it requires special techniques of course design, special instructional techniques, special methods of communication by electronic and other technology, as well as special techniques of course design, and other technology, as well as special organizational and administrative arrangements." (p. 2).

Link of Interest:
http://www.unioldenburg.de/zef/cde/found/w7essays.htm

SOURCE: Moore, M G., & Kearsley, G. (1996). Distance education : A systems view. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Dr. Michael Moore is the Academic Director of The American Center for the Study of Distance Education, and the Editor of The American Journal of Distance Education at Pennsylvania State University.

He is a pioneer in distance education, with over 30 years experience in designing and delivering programs by broadcast and teleconference technologies.

Dr. Greg Kearsley is presently a professor in the Instructional Technology & Distance Education program at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, FL.

Past lives include:Chief Executive Officer of Park Row Inc., a software publishing company in San Diego, chief scientist of Courseware Incorporated, a training development firm based in San Diego, and a senior scientist at the Human Resources Research Organization (HumRRO) in Alexandria, VA.

He has taught at many universities including: the George Washington University, the University of Wisconsin, University of San Francisco, San Diego State University, and National University.

• Distance education: A systems view. Moore, M. G., Kearsley, G. (1996)
• Foundations of distance education. 3rd revised edition Keegan D (1996)
• Theory and Practice of Distance Education (Routledge Studies in Distance Education) by Borje Holmberg

• The American Center for the Study of Distance Education
• WWW Kernel For Distance Learning
• American Journal of Distance Education
• Nova Southeastern University

E-learning: Covers a wide set of applications and processes, such as Web-based learning, computer-based learning, virtual classrooms, and digital collaboration. It includes the delivery of content via Internet, intranet/extranet (LAN/WAN), audio- and videotape, satellite broadcast, interactive TV, and CD-ROM.

Source: American Society for Training and Development (ASTD)

ASTD defines itself as "a leading association of workplace learning and performance professionals, forming a world-class community of practice. ASTD's 70,000 members and associates come from more than 100 countries and thousands of organizations--multinational corporations, medium-sized and small businesses, government, academia, consulting firms, and product and service suppliers."

Source: American Society for Training and Development (ASTD)

WBT (Web-based training): Delivery of educational content via a Web browser over the public Internet, a private intranet, or an extranet. Web-based training often provides links to other learning resources such as references, email, bulletin boards, and discussion groups. WBT also may include a facilitator who can provide course guidelines, manage discussion boards, deliver lectures, and so forth. When used with a facilitator, WBT offers some advantages of instructor-led training while also retaining the advantages of computer-based training.

Source: American Society for Training and Development (ASTD)