Online Teaching and Learning: Essential Conditions for Success

Abstract

Today the global education community is faced with a unique problem. Learners in every location must acquire new skills, be literate, and understand constantly changing dynamics. The challenge has always been to balance the need for intense and personal interaction to learn conceptual information with the reality of limited financial resources. Distance education has been viewed as a way in which to offer lifelong learning to those who are geographically separated from traditional institutions, have obligations that limit their ability to attend regular courses or have other exceptional challenges. Distance learning in various forms has been around for a long time. Traditional distance learning environments were based on correspondence through passive media (paper, audio and video broadcast). Now, developments in network and communication technologies have provided the ability to offer online courses to large numbers of individuals. With the changes in electronic communications, and the resulting transformed model of distance learning, individuals expect interactivity and close to “traditional” classroom- based education.