I went back and read every classmates’ definition of distance education.  The majority of us seemed to believe that distance education happened in a location other than a classroom and that people are located in various locations scattered throughout the world.   Another common theme is that teachers and students exhange information at various times and places and “education is gained with the professor/educator in one place or time and the learner receiving the education at another place or time” (Angie Blanton).

Most of us also stated that technology was involved in distance education.  Della Pack further explained that “distance learning classes are delivered by ITV, television, web-based instruction or web-enhanced instruction”.

Something we failed to mention in our definitions……………….. 

Students enrolled in distance education courses must work on their own and take responsibility for their own learning.  Distance education involves discovery learning and problem based learning.  There is no lecture to attend each week where a student can take detailed notes……………..instead the student must read articles and discover answers on his/her own.  Students can seek assistance when they need it, however it is up to them to find the necessary resources to solve their problem.