Summary:
Eighteen years after its original publication, the article is useful as a snapshot of early perspectives on videoconferencing and distance education at the time. They felt that "effective distance teaching and learning requires extra effort on the parts of the instructor and the students" (p. 595). The effort included earlier preparation of materials, technology, and familiarization with the tools of learning. They believed a system of active learning and student participation were the paramount points of focus for successful courses. The high costs of video-conferencing, now a relatively mute point, was also addressed in the paper.
Citation-worthy:
"'Distance education refers to all arrangements for providing instruction through print or electronic communications media to persona engaged in planned learning in a place or time different from that of the instructor' (Moore, 1996). This definition of distance education is consistent with the characteristics of ditance education identified by the American Council of Education: Physical and/or chronological separation between the learner and the instructor, among learners, adn/or between learners and learning resources:
- Interaction between learner and instructor, and/or interaction among learners, is conducted through on or more media, and the use of electronic media is not necessarily required;
- the learning experience is approved and its quality is monitored by the learning provider;
- the learning experience is organized to increase learner control over the time, place, and pace of instruction; and
- the instructional process is supported by other learner services that also respond to the assumed separation between the learner and the learning provider" (Needy & Claus, 1997, p. 594).
