An Inside Look at Distance Teaching

Distance learning courses are becoming more popular all the time. Because so many students are participating in these courses, the need for teachers who understand distance teaching is increasing as well.

Although distance learning courses require students to learn the same material as they would in a physical classroom, distance learning courses present some unique obstacles that do not occur as frequently in traditional classroom settings. Each format for distance learning courses have a few potential problems that must be overcome for students to achieve the best distance learning experience.

One of the most common types of distance learning courses is e learning courses, or online courses. In these courses, all the information is provided to students online. While this may sound simple, it invites several problems, the most prevalent of which is miscommunication. Because all the course information is posted online, it means that there is no opportunity for spoken instruction or clarification, only text. This aspect of distance teaching is difficult for many instructors because you have to be able to write instructions and course material that can only be interpreted the way you intended when you wrote it. There is nothing more discouraging for a student or teacher than having an assignment be misconstrued. Because of this aspect of e learning courses, many teachers get frustrated and rely only on the traditional classroom to make a living.

Some teachers and students have a bad taste in their mouth from a previous experience with e learning courses. Communicating through email only can be challenging and message clarity can suffer, although the lack of a formal schedule can work against student-teacher relations as well. Many students get upset when teachers post assignments and notes at odd times since they may check their email or bulletin board and think they have no new homework when they have an assignment due soon or an assignment has changed.

Another distance teaching format that presents some challenges is televised classes or Live Interactive Television. Because there may not be any actual students in a room to give visual clues to the teacher, teachers may feel like they are speaking to a brick wall. Teachers commonly rely on the reactions of students to determine if they need to clarify a point or if someone has something to add, or if students just plain disagree with what was said. Although students taking Live Interactive Television courses can respond, students watching televised courses may not be able to watch a lesson for several days after it was recorded. This delay means they cannot ask questions and must rely on email or calling a teacher for clarification, which is much more difficult than simply raising your hand in class and quickly reviewing the material or instructions.
For the most part, aspiring teachers probably do not envision themselves getting involved in distance teaching, but as distance learning becomes more popular, there will continue to be an increase in the demand for distance teaching positions.