Contribution to the Evolution of Distance Education

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Distance education as we know it materialized in the 1960s, and although it predominantly consisted as a self-directed learning method (correspondence courses, with textbooks and previously prepared lessons), it presented opportunities for the working populace to receive an education; however, it was also the foundation of an emerging issue which accompanied distance education and continued to adversely develop as time progressed, yet modern online learning has been enhanced by the theories of illustrious scholars. Theories of Transactional distance and Andragogy have influenced the technological expansion of distance education into the 21st century's streamlined, learner-centered environment.
Distance education (DE) has historically had a low success rate. "From past to present, dropout rate of students is [sic] one of the main problems regarding to [sic] distance education. Related research showed that approximately 30% and 50% of distance education students fail to complete distance education courses" (Horzum, 2012, p. 1). One institution, the University System of Georgia, is searching for new methods to improve the distance education model, for studies have revealed facts documenting that distance education graduation rates have declined and withdrawal numbers have increased despite the fact that traditional face-to-face instruction have remained unchanged; moreover, Coastline Community College interviewed several students regarding online education, and a substantial percentage of those students interviewed stated that they never intended to earn an online degree program (Nash, n.d.). Distance education courses were not taken seriously, nor where they viewed as a beneficial form of learning, for there are no p...

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... perspective. London & New York: RoutledgeFalmer.
Reischmann, J. (2000). Andragogy.net. Retrieved from http://www.uni-bamberg.de/fileadmin/andragogik/08/andragogik/andragogy/index.htm
Reyes, J. A. (2013). Transactional Distance Theory. Distance Learning, 10(3), 43-50.
Robertson, E. (2012). The History of Distance Learning and Online Education. Edudemic. Retrieved from http://www.edudemic.com/the-history-of-distance-learning-and-online-education/
Wengrowicz, N., & Offir, B. (2013). Teachers' Perceptions of Transactional Distance in Different Teaching Environments. American Journal Of Distance Education, 27(2), 111-121. doi:10.1080/08923647.2013.773701
Wheeler, S. (2007). The Influence of Communication Technologies and Approaches to Study on Transactional Distance in Blended Learning. ALT-J: Research In Learning Technology, 15(2), 103-117. http://tinyurl.com/num4pvl

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