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Research
and Distance Education
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The Third Shift: Women Learning Online (continued)
Other findings in the AAUW study dispute the reputation of online students as just taking one or two courses to improve their job prospects. The majority of distance learning students surveyed reported that they were taking online courses in pursuit of a degree and for the sense of accomplishment, similar to traditional-age students' educational goals.
Distance Education Media
The media used to deliver education has changed over time and has been a common premise of distance education research. New and improved communication technologies, which enable more interactivity in distance courses, have had a major impact on the growth and the resurgence of distance learning.
"Distance Learning: The Shift to Interactivity," the title of a 1997 CAUSE Paper series, summarizes the evolution of media used to deliver distance education. The authors differentiated between distance learning communication technologies based on whether they provide one-way, two-way, or multiple-way communication. The research outlines four different generations of distance learning technologies:
First Generation - Predominately one technology characterized by no interaction (ex: print, radio, television).
Second Generation
- Multiple technologies without computers (ex: audiocassettes, television,
videocassettes).
Third Generation - Multiple technologies including computers (ex: e-mail, chat, listservs, discussion boards, Internet, CD-ROMs).