Distance Learning

Classroom learning presumes the presence of a teacher and learner in a physical space where teaching and learning takes place. When the learner and the teacher are not located in the same physical space, and use a communications medium to interact with each other over a distance, it is termed distance education or distance learning. Distance learning was practiced in various forms (e.g., correspondence courses or programs) in the 19th century but has experienced exponential growth since the early 1990s with the advent of the Internet, leading to increased research about theories, design, development, infrastructure, implementation, evaluation, quality, use, and support structures of distance learning. This entry begins with a brief overview of the development of distance learning, describes key features in its implementation, and ...