Effective Teaching in Distance Education. ERIC Digest.

Distance education is an alternative method for delivering academic course work to students unable to attend traditional campus-based classes. This Digest presents information on the many forms of distance education and keys to successful teaching with distance education. Distance education is a method of education in which the learner is physically separated from the teacher and the institution sponsoring the instruction. There must be a teacher, one or more students, and a course or curriculum that the teacher is capable of teaching and the student wants to learn. Originally, distance education involved teachers traveling to remote sites to teach a class or teachers corresponding with students. Technology has raised the quality of individualized distance instruction. There are video and audio models of distance education that involve broadcast and cable television, satellites, microwaves, fiber optics, and audio graphics. The linking of computer technology via the Internet or CD-ROM with television transmission potentially provides a new dimension to distance education. Distance education can be used for some aspects of most disciplines. It dictates changes in behavior for both teachers and students. Five critical elements for successful distance teaching include: instructor enthusiasm, organization, strong commitment to student interaction, familiarity with technology used in the class, and critical support personnel. (Contains 8 references.) (SM)