Distance Learning: Step by Step

Distance learning is rapidly becoming pervasive in every aspect of education. From elementary school through doctoral programs, information technology enables self-paced learning with some degree of distance from teaching professionals. Educators sometimes begin this online delivery system without fully examining the academic soundness of this approach. Other considerations are administrative matters involving the hardware, software, and service needed to execute the methodology, and most importantly, the impact on the teachers, or facilitators. This paper presents a model of thinking and teaching styles and presents teaching strategies for the evolution from a basic to a complex learning scenario.