RESEARCH PAPER TEMPLATE

North American University

Education Department
M.Ed. in EDLE & CUIN
EDUC 5324: INTEGRATING TECHNOLOGY INTO EDUCATION

Name: Nadira Egamberdieva Olmeda________________________ Date:

07/29/18___________________________

Topic Selected:
What does the research say about advantages and disadvantages of distance
education?

1. LITERATURE REVIEW:
What does the literature/research say about this issue/topic? By using NAU
Library or Online Search engines, conduct a literature review.
 You need to include 5 different sources (book, journal article, web article
etc.) in your review. Try to use current sources as much as possible.
 You need to summarize and synthesize your sources by discussing a
common theme or issue.
 You don't need to critique your sources
 You don't need to evaluate your sources (if the sources are trustworthy,
weather the author has a bias or not)
 You need to provide background information such as history and
definitions

Brief Literature Review:

Distance education is an electronic environment where people can achieve their academic
goals. Virtual education allows for people in different locations and at different time
frames to be able to study with common purposes, using such communication media as e-
mail, video conference. The U. S. Department of Educational Research and Improvement
defines distance education as “the application of telecommunications and electronic
devices which enable students and learners to receive instruction from some distant
location” (Bruder, 1989, p. 30).Garrison and Shale (1987) listed three characteristics of
the distance education process: 1) distance education implies that the majority of the
educational community between (among) teacher and students occurs non-contiguously,
2) distance education must involve two-way communication between (among) teacher
and students for the purpose of facilitating and supporting the educational process, and 3)
distance education uses technology to mediate the necessary two-way communication (p.
28).
The history of distance education spans three centuries and reflects an egalitarian
approach to education. Distance education began vocational courses delivered by postal
delivery service. “The first course was the Pitman Shorthand training program that
brought cutting edge stenographic practices to the United States in 1852. Using the
United States Postal Service, self-taught secretaries would mail their exercises to the
Phonographic Institute in Cincinnati, OH, and, after completing the required coursework,
receive a certificate of expertise in stenographic shorthand skills” (Matthews, 1999).
Now, distance learning programs have snowballed into online instructional delivery
systems capable of granting doctoral degrees. “Distance education was developed in the
United States for three reasons: 1) the great distances of citizens from educational
institutions, both geographically and socio-economically; 2) the thirst for education; and
3) the rapid advancement of technology. Each of these factors is in some way
instrumental to the development of distance education” (Casey, 2008). “In 1970, the first
fully televised college courses were created, licensed, and implemented by Coastline
Community College. The first state educational satellite system, Learn/Alaska, was
created in 1980. Distance learning methods are now being employed by some of the best
universities the world has to offer. Distance learning programs have snowballed into
online instructional delivery systems capable of granting doctoral degrees. Three
University of Oxford will join an alliance formed by Princeton, Stanford, and Yale
Universities to offer distance-learning courses” (Casey, 2008). The future of distance
learning seems secure because of its ability to adapt to technological trends. However,
many traditional educators view distance education with skepticism and express concerns
about quality control.
The purpose one of the studies was to determine advantages and disadvantages of
distance-education. The students gave the following answers to the advantages of the
program question: 43.47% of them indicated that it had no time and place restriction,
39.1% of them mentioned that it was suitable for working people and it was easy to
access education, 21.73% of students said that it had a good communication opportunity
and it supported research, and academic development, 13.04% of them reported that it
had an opportunity to work with people who are expert in their fields and it had a
repetition opportunity, 8.6% of them thought that it had rich content and resources and it
enabled time management, and 4.3% of them said that it gave feedback in a short span of
time (Tutkun, Erdoğan, & Demirtaş, 2014).

Some quotations from students in terms of the advantages of distance education:

“We can rank the superior aspects of the program as having expert and encouraging
teachers in their fields, having rich content and easy access to knowledge, and immediate
feedback.” (S3)
“We can say that the superior thing about the program is it makes distances closer…”
(S4)
“Without going to anywhere, you can benefit from the university from your home…”
(S5)
“The advantages are to take master’s education without time and place restriction.
Moreover, we can meet with people who are expert in their fields.” (S14)

“Students gave these following answers to the disadvantages of the program question:
21.73% of them thought that virtual courses are superficial and unfruitful and it cannot
possible to interact face to face. 17.39% of them said that there were some malfunctions
in computer systems and the feedback to assignments were not enough. 13.04% of them
indicated that virtual classes were not same as real ones, and there were exam and
assignment anxiety. 8.6% of them mentioned that there were a huge student responsibility
and lack of technological information and no doctorate opportunity. 4.3% of them
remarked that distance education was not adopted, the expenditure was high, and there
was lack of motivation, and a problem of in-expression, and no group work” (Tutkun,
Erdoğan, & Demirtaş, 2014).
Some quotations from students in terms of the disadvantages of the program:
“ … I think that we cannot benefit from virtual classes because they are not same as real
ones.” (S2)
“… the restricted feature in the program is that we cannot express ourselves in virtual
connections, there are technological shortcomings.” (S5)
“The restricted characteristic of the program is the weak interaction, and it is far from
classroom environment.” (S9)
“… restricted things are two-way communication is weak and virtual environment should
be used more efficiently.” (S17)
“… the high expenditure is drawback and some lecturers do not teach lessons
efficiently.” (S23)
According to Taylor (2013), although the distance education has both positive and
negative sides it should not be give up. Karataş (2006) found that his research, distance
education is more effective than face to face education method. “Suggestions based on
the results of the study: Distance education programs should be extended in all areas
especially for people who have professional job” (Tutkun, Erdoğan, & Demirtaş, 2014).

2. REFLECTION:
 What is your personal opinion on this issue? Do you agree with the
research? If you agree or disagree, please explain why?
 Provide examples/experiences regarding this issue from school
perspective or If you are not working in a school, from your profession. Be
specific with your examples. You can mention software/hardware names,
specific methods that you plan to use, etc.
 How would you implement this research in your career? (At least 1
paragraph)

Reflection:
From my own experience, I believe that well-designed online learning delivers the same
information in the same format to every single person who takes the course. Eighteen
months ago, for the first time, all of my classes were online. I looked at the clock on my
computer one day and saw that it was 6:00 p.m. I had been sitting in the same spot since
6:00 a.m. that morning. I must admit that I am happy when I teach in front of a
computer screen. I love being a teacher. I enjoy teaching my students and learning with
them. We study, talk. We laugh a lot. The online instruction made me wonder if I was
still even a teacher.
I have learned in my 6 years as a language teacher, on the elementary, and college levels,
that there are basically two things students need from me-to learn and to enjoy learning.
For me, one of the keys to meeting these two goals is social interaction because social
interaction is important to the learning process. Another key is that the classroom needs
to be a safe atmosphere in which we can openly discuss our ideas, a place where we are
all active participants in the learning process. I was sure this could not be done online.
But then I taught my first online class, and I was surprised to find my students’ work was
the same quality as it had been the previous semesters when I had been teaching that
same course face to-face. I was equally surprised to find that my students’ evaluations
were the same too- the students still reported they learned a lot, and they still reported
they enjoyed learning. The students stated that they gained much more than they
expected.
I have found that if I make comments and ask questions, I can get a discussion going just
like I can in a face-to-face class. I comment the same way online as I did in class
discussions on campus if I have something to add, and I look for ways to embed what I
want them to know into the discussions. I then examined the personal pros and cons to
online teaching. Besides the sitting at a computer all day, the biggest, and possibly only
disadvantage to me is that I miss the face-to-face interaction. The biggest advantage is
that I no longer have to be on campus at nights for my classes and drive home alone late.
I don’t have to spend a lot of money on my car expenses. I do not miss that at all. My
experience helped me see that another major advantage to teaching online is that instead
of seeing my students once a week in class, we talk several times a week through online
discussions and email. I still get to have great conversations with teachers. I have also
noticed that at the end of my online classes, students thank each other for the support they
received and they comment about the relationships they have developed over the
semester. This shows me that my goal of developing a community of learners seemed to
work in my online classes as well as they did in my face-to-face classes. I believe that
making the move to online teaching would be the best choice in teachers’ career.
Distance education provides with an opportunity to approach professionally to students’
profession.
3. REFERENCES:
 Cite at least 5 References in APA.
 You may use http://www.citationmachine.net/apa/cite-a-journal for citing
your sources in APA style.

References:
Bruder, I. (1989). Distance learning: What’s holding back this boundless delivery
system? Electronic Learning, 8(6), 30-35.
Casey, D. (2008). A Journey to legitimacy: The historical development
of distance education through technology. Tech Trends: Linking Research & Practice to
Improve Learning 52(2), 45-51. DOI: 10.1007/s11528-008-0135-z.
Garrison, D. R., & Shale, D. (1987). Mapping the boundaries of distance education:
Problems in defining the field. The American Journal of Distance Education, 1(1), 5-31.
Matthews, D. (1999). The origins of distance education and its use in the United States.
T.H.E. Journal, 27(2), 54-59. Retrieved from http://www.thejournal.
com/magazine/vault/A2222.cfm
Karataş, S. (2006). Deneyim eşitliğine dayalı internet temelli ve yüz yüze öğrenme
sistemlerinin öğrenci başarısı açısından karşılaştırılması. G. Ü. Gazi Eğitim Fakültesi
Dergisi,26(3),113-132.
Taylor, N. (2013). Education leaders perspectives: Pros and cons
of distance education in a small Caribbean Island. Charlotte, NC: IAP Information Age
Publishing.
Tutkun, O., Erdoğan, D., & Demirtaş. Z. (2014). The opinions of students toward
curriculum of distance education non thesis master. International Online Journal of
Educational Sciences, 6(2), 307-318.