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Key Players in Distance Education
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Key Players in Distance Education
The following briefly describes
the roles of key players in distance education courses and the challenges
they face.
Students -
Regardless of the educational context, the primary role of the learner
is to learn. This is a task requiring motivation, planning, and an ability
to analyze and apply the instructional content being taught. When instruction
is delivered at a distance, additional challenges result because learners
are often separated from others sharing their backgrounds and interests,
and have few opportunities to interact with instructors outside of class.
Instructors
- The success of any distance education effort depends on the instructor.
As in a traditional classroom setting, the instructor's responsibility
includes assembling course content and developing an understanding of
learners’ needs; however, in distance learning, additional challenges
confront the instructor. For example, the instructor must:
- Develop an understanding of the characteristics and needs of distant learners with little first-hand experience and limited, if any, face-to-face contact.
- Adapt teaching styles taking into consideration the needs and expectations of multiple, often diverse, audiences.
- Develop a working understanding of delivery technology, while remaining focused on their teaching role.
Support staff - The instructor often finds it beneficial to rely on a site facilitator to act as a bridge between the learners and the instructor. To be effective, a facilitator must understand the learners being served and the instructor's expectations. Most importantly, the facilitator must follow the directive established by the instructor. Support staff may also set up equipment, collect assignments, and proctor tests. In addition, most successful distance education programs use support staff to support service functions including student registration, materials duplication and distribution, textbook ordering, securing copyright clearances, scheduling facilities, processing grade reports, managing technical resources, etc.
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