When I first started taking online courses I was a bit confused because people were using Distance Education, Distance Learning, Online Learning, Online Courses, and a few other words. I always thought they were different from one another; especially, when you throw in Blended and Hybrid. I don't think people have yet to come to an agreement on which word is the definitive word to use.
The word distance education seems to encompass all if we were to pick a word. Personally, I would pick Distance Education because most people would define DE as having to be online learning and online plus blended/hybrid. Most students would say online course. I work for the distance learning department at my college and most students who call in would use "online course." They never say, "I'm taking a distance learning class," they would just say, "I'm taking an online course."
I think no matter what you use, as long as you know what you are talking about when it comes to DE, then we are all safe :-)
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If we use the definition of distance education in Moore & Kearsley's Distance Education a Systems View (p. 2) we would standardize on "distance education is planned learning that normally occurs in a different place from teaching, requiring special course design and instruction techniques, communication through various technologies, and special organizational and administrative arrangements." So an online course just becomes one of the parts of the course design.
ReplyDeleteI know when I started back I said I'm going back to school and taking my courses online.
When people ask me I just tell them I'm taking my course online and they know what I'm talking about. It only gets a little stranger when you tell people your course is blended...some people might go, "what?" I have never been a fan of blended/hybrid type of course...but some people are.
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