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Guidebook for Instructors . INTRODUCTION The
rapid growth of technology is
impacting every facet of life as
we embark on a new century. There
are few institutions unaffected
by its presence. Universities,
businesses, and individuals are
grappling with the best way to
harness technologies' promise of
meeting individual needs at
lightening speed. . The
educational system is tasked with
meeting the diverse needs of a
vast student population. Changing
economic conditions generate the
need for continued learning and
re-training. The marriage of
emerging technologies with
education has sprouted new
opportunities for distance
education. McIsaac
& Gunawardena define distance
education as "structured learning
in which the student and
instructor are separated by time
and distance" (1996). If an
instructor and learners are not
together in the same physical
location, nor gathered together
at the same time, a medium of
communication is necessary.
According to Moore &
Kearsley, the "use of printed and
electronic technologies as the
primary form of communication is
the first and most obvious
characteristic that distinguishes
distance education from other
forms of education."
(1996). Distance
education is the fastest growing
form of domestic and
international education (McIsaac
& Gunawardena, 1996). As
universities struggle with how to
meet diverse educational needs
yet keep costs down, increasing
pressure is being brought upon
instructors to adapt, develop,
and change the way they deliver
instruction often without the
necessary training or incentives
that are required. This
guide is being developed for
educators, trainers, business
people, educational
technologists, entrepreneurs,
parents, and any individual
interested in how best to
position themselves in the
rapidly expanding distance
education market. Issues that
will be raised and discussed
include: Detailed
information on technologies and
their use is widely available.
Studies on the benefits of
distance education programs and
learning outcomes are
increasingly being published.
Universities feel the pressure to
get "up to speed" on technologies
to provide more and varied
services for their learners.
Influence is being put upon
professors and instructors to
provide what the culture is
demanding. What seems to be
missing is information on how
instructors learn the
competencies needed to move into
this new role of distance
educator while still maintaining
their current workload. This
distance education guide is an
attempt to fill that
void. We
are here to serve your needs for
information, training, and
support on how to effectively
deal with the challenges you are
facing during this
transformation. Contact
us regarding any topics of
interest you would like to see
covered in upcoming
articles. References McIsaac,
M.S., Gunawardena, C.N. (1996).
Distance education. In Jonassen,
D.H. (Ed.), Handbook of research
for educational communications
and technology (p. 403). New
York: Simon & Schuster
Macmillan. Moore,
M.G., & Kearsley, G. (1996).
Distance education: A systems
view. Belmont, California:
Wadsworth Publishing
Company. . Distance
education: A systems view. Saba
& Associates © 1999
STARTING
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of research for educational communications and
technology
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