Technology and Science Aiding in Distance Learning

[Jennifer Walters]

Hello everyone! I'm new here and just thought I'd start off with a different topic from what I've seen discussed.

I found an interesting article that discusses the advancement of technology being a pivotal role in aiding Distance Learning and education in all branches and subjects:

http://www.elearnportal.com/student-center/how-technology-makes-all-the-difference-in-distance-learning

I thought I'd post this here an hope its not too techy of a topic. But I find the advancement in technology in the past few years to be grand on many aspects and especially where education is concerned. Distance education aided by web cams and LMS softwares have broken the boarders and torn down the walls of typical classroom environments.

I was wondering how other people felt about this particular boom. Does it make education easier? Does it cheapen it? I'd like to know.
Thanks!

[DrOlaf]

I don't have any experience of online education as a student, but I have plenty as a course instructor. My University is trying to encourage more and more faculty to shift their courses to incorporate more online instruction, but has not yet implemented any fully-online courses to the best of my knowledge. Right now all of my courses involve a mixture of online and face-to-face instruction, and I get the impression that my students value the mix. They certainly like the convenience of being able to take their tests and quizzes when it suits them, and of being able to review my course webpages at their leisure. Right now, all of the enrolled students in my School live on campus, or locally, and have to come in for other courses anyway so the incentive for a fully online course isn't there.

I am in the process of moving one of my courses to a fully-online version, though, at least for one of the semesters in which I teach it, and I will see how the students like that in comparison to a face-to-face course.

[monroe]

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[GreenB]

Ain't really sure whether it will ever be possible to get a degree through the web, but looking at sites like MIT's open course ware
open course ware (http://ocw.mit.edu)
shows that teaching and learning is already a reality out here
(btw. the courses 8.01, 8.02 and 8.03 (all physics) is indeed recommendable and all on real player video/stream)