Melody Clark
Academic Director, Office of Distance Education
College of Evening & Continuing Education, University of Cincinnati, 2001

People employ a number of terms to describe instruction that is provided in places and times that are convenient to learners: distributed learning, distance learning, distance education, eLearning, and others. An individual's choice of terminology sometimes reflects his or her emphasis on content and instructional delivery via technology or pedagogical arguments pertaining to learning and education. The common thread among all these terms and concepts is that instructor and learners are separated by space or time, or both, for most of the instructional process — at least 75% according to the Ohio Learning Network — and some type of educational media is used to "bridge the gap" between teacher and learner and carry course content.

Technology is the first thing we might think of when hearing about distance education. Indeed, the growth of distance education mirrors the growth of new and developing technologies and is an important element in providing access beyond geographic boundaries. In fact, we can identify four generations of distance education technology, beginning with the predominant use of a single technology such as correspondence by mail. The printed word is followed by multimedia learning materials: radio and television broadcasts, videocassettes, audiocassettes, or face-to-face tutorials used along with print. The next generation progresses to satellite transmissions and two-way communications media that allow direct interaction between the teacher and remote students by such means as computer conferencing and networking, audio and video conferencing, and interactive two-way television. The Internet and the World Wide Web are shaping the current generation of distance learning.

But distance education is not only about devices and equipment. In his keynote address at TechEd99 on 22 April 1999, Sir John Daniel, Vice-Chancellor of the British Open University (and concurrently ex officio President of the United States Open University) said that "The 'soft' technologies of organisation and process are more important than the 'hard' technologies of electrons and bytes." He defined technology as "...the application of scientific and other organized knowledge to practical tasks by organizations consisting of people and machines." In this definition, technology is not limited to an applied science. It includes non-scientific knowledge and activities such as managerial skills and involves people and social elements, the "soft" technologies that make up distance education including the processes, approaches, and planning that focus on applications of the technology and implications for teaching, learning, interaction, organization, and management.
Distance education is a system of relationships among instructional, technical, and management components that take into consideration distance learners and implications for course or program design, and the learners themselves. This systematic way of thinking about distance education recognizes interconnectivity. We consider processes as inputs (e.g., student characteristics, efficiency of course development and support) and outputs (e.g., student satisfaction, student achievement, student course completion). For example, the course design and technology we use for delivery is based on content or knowledge sources, student needs, and the learning environment. We select a particular delivery technology or combination of technologies, as determined by the content to be taught, who is to be taught, where the learning will take place, and what technology is available. All of these are influenced by policy and management including such things as what can be supported by the unit or organization, and the cost. Approaching distance education systematically, and from a team approach, people can make decisions with due consideration of all of distance education's component parts.

While a systematic approach to distance education is more evident in organizations identified as distance education units, the components that make for effective distance education programming are relevant at any level of programming and organization. In its commitment to meet student demands and expectations for increased access, customized curriculum and flexible course and program delivery, the College of Evening and Continuing Education's newly developed Office of Distance Education will provide leadership and academic support, as well as facilitate services for the College's students, faculty and staff engaging in distance education programming. Driving the vision of the unit is a systems perspective. This helps ensure that all necessary components and processes are incorporated in program design, development, and delivery, to focus on meeting teaching and learning goals that lead to successful distance education experiences for students and faculty.