Education - Distance Learning Distance Thesis

In various trials in which learners were presented with different formats of video- only, auditory-only, combinations of both, and formats combining each with note-taking by students, researchers have determined that results are comparable, although more so for superior students than for average students. In that regard, average students learn better from repeated viewing in conjunction with audio-based information while superior students benefited equally regardless of the precise combination of those variables.

The author presents the results of research documenting the extent to which developers of computer-based video instruction may be overemphasizing the value of technical sophistication and suggests that the relative value of video-based lessons is substantially the same without the inclusion of all the bells and whistles available by virtue of the latest computer-based information formats. On the other hand, the author reports that vocational task-specific training effectiveness is somewhat more dependent on more sophisticated interactive information formats.

Since previous research indicated that the vast majority of distance learning programs focus on academic lessons, the author suggests that the positive experiences of vocational task-specific training in military settings demonstrates that distance learning principles are underused in relation to their capacity for providing training comparable in quality to traditional in-person instruction at a substantial cost reduction. Finally, the author concludes that, in the future, education will increasingly adopt distance learning and that its ultimate potential for augmenting traditional learning methods depends largely on the effectiveness of its specific design.