16 The Theory of Distance Education.ppt

The Theory of Distance Education Speaker：Jihong Ding Chapter 16 The Theory of Distance Education The Theory of Distance Education Key Point：The Industrial Model of Distance Education Difficult Point：A Synthesis of Existing Theories The Theory of Distance Education The industrial model of distance education (p. 172) Otto Peters’ industrial production model of distance education: A method of imparting knowledge, skills and attitudes which is rationalized by the application of division of labor and organizational principles as well as by the extensive use of technical media, especially for the purpose of reproducing high quality teaching material which makes it possible to instruct great numbers of students at the same time wherever they live. The Theory of Distance Education Peters’ theory is an organizational theory and not a theory of teaching, nor of learning. It is an organizational model that talks about organizing the educational process to realize economies of scale. This model places in clear contrast the need to choose between independence and interaction, generating a debate about the worth of each approach in implementing distance education, a debate that was rendered useless with the advent of computer-mediated communication. The Theory of Distance Education European theory of independent study (p. 173) Moore’s theory examines two variables in educational programs: the amount of learner autonomy and the distance between teacher and student. Distance education for Moore is composed of two elements: the provision for two-way communication (dialog) and the extent to which a program is responsive to the needs of the individual learner (structure). The second part of Moore’s theory deals with learner autonomy and distance educational programs are classified as “autonomous” (learner-determined) or “non-autonomous” (teacher-determined). The Theory of Distance Education The degree of autonomy is gauged by answering the following three questions: Is the se