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Distance education is a method of teaching in which the students are not required to be physically present at a specific location or time during the term. Instead, teachers and students communicate by exchanging printed or electronic media, or through technology that allows them to communicate in real time. Physical presence is normally optional for tutorials and normally only mandatory for examinations.

Most often, regular mail is used to send written material, videos, audiotapes, and CD-ROMs to the student and to turn in the exercises. E-mail, the Web, and video conferencing over broadband network connections are used as well. In some countries, the material is supplemented by television and radio programming. To compete with the conventional sector, course material must be of very high quality and completeness, and will use modern technologies such as educational animation.

Full time or part-time study is possible, but most students choose part-time study. Research study is possible as well. Distance education is offered at all levels, but is most frequently an option for university-level studies. A form of educational program which is similar to this but which requires some amount of presence during the year is a low-residency program.

Distance education programs are sometimes called correspondence courses, an older term that originated in nineteenth-century vocational education programs that were conducted through postal mail. This term has been largely replaced by distance education, and expanded to encompass more sophisticated technologies. The first subject taught by correspondence was the Pitman Shorthand, a tool of stenography. Primary and secondary education programs were also widely available by correspondence, usually for children living in remote areas.

One of the oldest distance education universities is the University of South Africa, which has been offering DE courses since 1946. The largest distance education university in the United Kingdom is the Open University founded 1969. In Germany the FernUniversität in Hagen was founded 1974. There are now many similar institutions around the world and these are listed below.

There are many private and public, non-profit and for-profit institutions offering courses and degree programs through distance education. Levels of accreditation vary; some institutions offering distance education in the United States have received little outside oversight, and some may be fraudulent diploma mills. In many other jurisdictions, an insitution may not use the term "University" without accreditation and authorisation, normally by the national government.

Contents 1 Major institutions offering distance learning programs 1.1 Azerbaijan 1.2 Australia 1.3 Canada 1.4 China 1.5 France 1.6 Germany 1.7 India 1.8 Iran 1.9 The Netherlands 1.10 Philippines 1.11 Portugal 1.12 Russia 1.13 Singapore 1.14 South Africa 1.15 Spain 1.16 Switzerland 1.17 Thailand 1.18 United Kingdom 1.19 United States 1.20 International 2 External links

Major institutions offering distance learning programs

Caution Some organisations decribing themselves as Distance Education institutions are nothing of the sort and their actions may bring the sector into disrepute. Refer to Diploma mills and List of unaccredited institutions of higher learning.

Azerbaijan

Australia

• Correspondence schools are run by state education departments for students in remote areas, where they are too far away to attend any school. Students and teachers use the postal system to communicate.
  • Queensland - Department of Distance Education

• School of the Air is a system similar to Correspondence schools but use radios developed in the 1920s for the RFDS to link students and teachers.

Universities which have comprehensive distance education programs:

University of New England, Australia

Deakin University

Monash University

Charles Sturt University

Macquarie University

Canada

• Athabasca University
• Royal Roads University
• Simon Fraser University
• Télé-université
• Thompson Rivers University
• University of Waterloo
• Ryerson University
• Alberta Distance Learning Centre

China

• The Open University of Hong Kong (OUHK)
• School of Professional and Continuing Education, The University of Hong Kong (HKU SPACE)

France

• Centre National d'Enseignement à Distance (CNED)

Germany

• FernUniversität in Hagen
• AKAD Privathochschulen
• Diploma Europäische Hochschulen
• Europäische Fernhochschule Hamburg
• Fernfachhochschule Riedlingen
• Hamburger Fernhochschule
• Private Fernfachhochschule Darmstadt

India

• Indira Gandhi National Open University
• School of Distance Education, Andhra University
• Sikkim Manipal University
• Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham

Iran

• Payame Noor University

The Netherlands

• Open University (Netherlands)

Philippines

• University of the Philippines Open University
• Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila

Portugal

• Universidade Aberta

Russia

• MIM LINK (The Open University (UK) partner in CIS)

Singapore

• Singapore Institute of Management-Open University Centre (to be accorded university status as SIM University in 2006)

South Africa

• University of South Africa

Spain

• Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia
• Universitat Oberta de Catalunya

Switzerland

• AKAD Hochschule für Berufstätige
• Fernfachhochschule Schweiz
• (see also "International" below).

Thailand

• Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University

United Kingdom

• Heriot-Watt University
• Open College of the Arts
• The Open University
• University of London
• University of Wales, Lampeter
• International Correspondence Schools
• The International Extension College
• The National Extension College
• Napier University
• The University of Glamorgan

United States

• California State University, Dominguez Hills
• Capella University
• Cleveland State University
• Charter Oak State College
• City College of San Francisco
• Empire State College
• Excelsior College
• Goddard College
• Heritage College & Heritage Institute
• Imperial Valley College
• Northern Arizona University
• Saint Joseph's College of Maine
• Thomas Edison State College
• Union Institute & University
• University of Phoenix
• University of Maryland University College
• University of North Dakota
• Utah State University
• Norwich University

International

• European Graduate School in Switzerland and the United States.
• Universitas 21 Global, an online university affiliated to the Universitas 21 alliance

In Distance Education students may not be required to be present in a classroom, but that also maybe a question of option.For example in the Open Universities in India, especially in the National Open University;week end contact sessions are held.These are optional, but for certain courses which have practical components such as those for computers, attendance to the tune of about 90% is compulsory.The National Open University in India is based on the United Kingdom Open University, model.As for an electronic classroom, it may or not be a part of a distance education set up. Electronic classrooms can be both on campus, and off campus. We would call such institutions as using a ' flexible' delivery mode.

Distance Education will also use all forms of technology starting with the print to the computer.This range will include the radio, the television, audio video conferencing, computer aided instruction, e learning, on line learning et al. E learning and online learning will be largely synonymous, but we can say that broadly speaking; e learning contains online/internet learning.A distinction is also made between open learning and distance learning, though generally speaking these two expressions are used interchangeably. To clarify our thinking we can say;that while ' open' education is the system, ie school or university, distance education is the teaching methodology used in these respective systems ie:school education, or higher education, as the case maybe.

Ananya.S.Guha Indira Gandhi National Open University, Shillong,INDIA:17.12.05.

• Efficient learning method
• European Association of Distance Teaching Universities
• Educational technology
• Learning management system
• online learning
• E-learning glossary
• M-learning
• CALL (computer-assisted language learning) (for a more historical perspective)
• European Committee for Home and Online Education (ECHOE)
• Educational technology

External links

• GetEducated.com: Online degree clearinghouse for accredited colleges and universities(USA)
• Educational Pathways: Paid-subscription Newsletter Covering Distance Learning and Teaching in Higher Education
• Distance Learning: The Distance Learning Network
• The Distance Education and Training Council
• European Association of Distance Teaching Universities

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