Distance Learning vs Online Learning
Although distance learning and online learning are interconnected, there is a clear distinction between the two terms. Distance learning emphasizes the separation between a student and their educational institution, while online learning focuses on the method of learning that is based on the internet. Online learning is often used to deliver course content for distance learning courses, but it can also refer to self-directed learning using resources available online.
Key Takeaways
- Distance learning refers to the separation between a student and their educational institution, while online learning focuses on the method of learning that is based on the internet.
- Distance learning courses often use online resources for real-time evaluations of learners, but they can also use other methods like posting, mailing of material, communication technologies, and recorded tutorials.
- Online learning can be self-driven or indicate course content delivered via online resources in a distance learning course offered by an institution, and it often focuses on the individual rather than a group of learners.
What is Distance Learning?
Sir Isaac Pitman pioneered distance learning in the 1840s when he designed a course for people interested in learning shorthand who lived far away. He provided feedback for students through postcards, emphasizing the separation of time and location in the learning process. Today, many renowned higher educational institutions offer a variety of distance learning courses using methods like posting, mailing of material, communication technologies, recorded tutorials, and interactive online learning tools and software. Distance learning is not a collective experience like a classroom lecture but rather focuses on the individual student.
What is Online Learning?
Online learning refers to a specific technique or mode of learning rather than a format, as is the case with distance learning. It can be self-driven or indicate course content delivered via online resources in a distance learning course offered by an institution. Some institutions offer distance learning courses exclusively through online learning methods, such as some IT degree programs. Many people with busy occupations prefer gaining qualifications online in distance learning due to easy access to learning resources.
Online learning includes a wide range of methods, from downloadable material to interactive learning software with time-constrained testing and awarding systems. There are also free online courses available on the internet that anyone with access to a computer can follow without any formal admission process, like distance learning courses.
What is the difference between Distance Learning and Online Learning?
Overall, online learning, a method of learning based on the internet, is widely used for distance learning purposes. The term “online learning” can also refer to self-directed learning using free online educational resources. Both distance learning and online learning focus on the individual rather than a group of learners, promoting learner autonomy in the learning process and offering flexibility in terms of time. However, it is important to remember that distance learning courses use various other modes like communication technologies to deliver their course content. The majority of distance learners who are employed prefer online learning as the mode of learning due to easy access to the internet and flexibility in terms of time.
