Education is defined as a field of study that involves teaching and learning, and distance education also includes both distance teaching and distance learning. In other words, education has at least two components: the process of providing instruction and the consequence of instruction—learning.
Editor, Distance Learning, and Program Professor, Programs in Instructional Technology and Distance Education, Fischler School of Education, Nova Southeastern University, 1750 NE 167 St., North Miami Beach, FL 33162. Telephone: (954) 262-8563.
Editor, Distance Learning, and Program Professor, Programs in Instructional Technology and Distance Education, Fischler School of Education, Nova Southeastern University, 1750 NE 167 St., North Miami Beach, FL 33162. Telephone: (954) 262-8563.
Recently, there have been attempts to identify best practices for the teaching portion of the education equation. Best practices are defined as those instructional Michael Simonson, Editor, Distance Learning, and Program Professor, Programs in Instructional Technology and Distance Education, Fischler School of Education, Nova Southeastern University, 1750 NE 167 St., North Miami Beach, FL 33162. Telephone: (954) 262-8563. E-mail: simsmich@nsu.nova.edu activities that promote learning, and that when applied are likely to increase the effectiveness and impact of the teaching and learning process.
One best practice technique, often misunderstood, is the expectation that technology, when used in both teaching and learning, is a good thing. Richard Clark (1983, 2012) has clearly demonstrated that the use of media and technology do not by themselves produce increases in learning, but that modern instructional technologies probably have an impact on the efficiency of teaching and even learning. Correct use of instructional technology in teaching has become a widely accepted best practice.
Probably the second most widely accepted best practice in education, especially distance education, is the concept of interaction. This journal’s definition of distance education includes the word interaction; interaction—between the teacher and student, between students and resources, and between students—is critical.
Orellana (2009) studied interaction as a determining component of class size in distance education. Classes that are too small—fewer than 10, or too large—more than 30, limit interaction. One finding of Orellana’s research is that a distance education course, taught by one instructor, should optimally have 20 students—if interaction is important.
