Comparative Analyses of Technologies of the Extramural or Correspondence Education and E-learning or Distance Education
Культурологія та соціальні комунікації: інноваційні стратегії розвитку : матеріали міжнародної наукової конференції (24–25 листопада 2016 р.) / Харківська державна академія культури ; відп. за вип. Н. М. Кушнаренко. Харків : ХДАК, 2016. 310 с. · Секція «Інформаційно-комунікаційні технології глобального соціокультурного простору» · 2016
Olha Oliinyk compares two forms of study: the classic correspondence (extramural) model we have known since the last century, and today’s online learning. The history is longer than you might think. The first correspondence courses appeared in Europe as early as the 18th century, and Sir Isaac Pitman gave them their modern shape in the 1840s. In Ukraine, correspondence education began in the 1930s, as universities reopened and new faculties were created. The term e-learning, by contrast, is very recent, coined only in 1999.
What do the two share, and where do they differ? Both offer the essentials: flexibility and the chance to study while you work. The main difference is cost: correspondence study is more affordable, because e-learning needs a computer and a stable internet connection that not everyone has. E-learning has its own barriers too: computer literacy, connection speed, and sometimes a language barrier. The author’s takeaway is hopeful: research shows that learning at a distance can be just as effective as face-to-face study, and the best path is to combine the reliability of the traditional correspondence form with the possibilities of modern technology.
Культурологія та соціальні комунікації: інноваційні стратегії розвитку : матеріали міжнародної наукової конференції (24–25 листопада 2016 р.) / Харківська державна академія культури ; відп. за вип. Н. М. Кушнаренко. Харків : ХДАК, 2016. 310 с. · Секція «Інформаційно-комунікаційні технології глобального соціокультурного простору» · pp. 159–160 · 2016
The use of technology is being imbibed globally in delivering education outside the classroom like radio, television and internet making the learning environment better and flexible. With the lessening usage of textbooks and making the material easily accessible through online courses, the scope of distance & E-learning seems more hopeful and relevant. Distance and E-learning are alternate forms of educating which offer a choice in time and course to learn at the learner’s own pace and understanding. It may include video conferencing, web lectures, on line tutorials, LMS, etc. It has gained momentum with the advancements in electronic and IT tools. This form of learning is being adopted by almost all the leading educational institutions to gain an added advantage of providing learning to students who have the urge and courage to learn but are refrained by the constraints of distance barriers, demographic predicaments, economic status, etc. The aim of this paper is to compare and analyze the traditional correspondence education and E-learning.
Distance learning has created new learning opportunities for students globally. No longer limited by proximity to traditional classrooms, today’s students can find online programs in a host of academic fields. It offers many benefits, such as convenience, flexibility and sometimes lesser tuition rates. However, E-learning classes can present problems for students in the areas of support, interactivity, commitment and technology. It is broadly inclusive of all the forms of education that makes use of technology and multimedia. This form of learning gives a benefit to those who have a credit crunch and is a very effective way of learning, thereby having no environmental drawback with a fast delivery of content from one place to another. The various challenges being faced by E-learning are awareness amongst people, computer literacy, bandwidth and connectivity, adoption rate and language barrier. A comparative analysis has been made here between the two forms of learning, most commonly known as Correspondence Education and E-learning listing all the benefits, drawbacks and areas of improvement.
The earliest Correspondence Education courses date back to the early 18th century in Europe. The first Extramural Education course in the modern sense was provided by Sir Isaac Pitman in the 1840s. While the term e-learning came into picture in the year 1999. Correspondence Education is a sequential and step by step delivery system that connects learners, regardless of their location, with educational resources provided to them. The resources and a step by step guide are provided to the learner for keeping in touch with normal regular attending students. E-Learning is a term that refers to a wide range of electronically distributed teaching and training materials. It most commonly refers to anytime, anywhere electronic or computer-supported learning and is often associated with online courses. It also includes the power point presentations, short video films, questionnaire based on them and graphical representations to teach all the stuff.
The first correspondence education courses in Ukraine date back to the 1930s when the universities were reopened and new faculties and departments were created. The biggest advantage of this form of education is flexibility. It holds true for those who are working professionals and want to study at the same time. It also has an advantage that you can fund your own studies by working. This advantage is also valid in case of E-learning. One of the reasons that encourage the weaker section of the society to start learning is that it is financially feasible for them to take up correspondence courses, as they offer reduced fees and a similar scope to learn. Thus, it helps everyone in the society to get education, by taking up the same scheme of course as in university and for the one who are pursuing via extramural education. E-learning is more on expensive side, as the access to computers with the proper Internet connection is not always realistic for everyone. As well as in general distance education courses often are more expensive than on-campus education.
Research comparing distance education to traditional face-to-face instruction indicates that teaching and studying at a distance can be as effective as traditional instruction. If the mode of education is well planned and sorted out according to the need of the student, then it can be as effective as any other form of education. A nine-year survey of the research literature in training published by Fletcher and Tobias in ‘Training and Retraining’, commissioned by the American Psychological Society, and published in 2000, concluded that: ‘Learners learn more using computer-based instruction than they do with conventional ways of teaching, as measured by higher post-treatment test scores.’
It can be concluded that correspondence education used to be very effective but nowadays distance learning can be a more effective mode of education. Both have their pros and cons in dissemination and hence a hybrid of traditional extramural and innovative forms of educational methodology should be adopted and the usage of technology in education should be effectively maximized.
Co-founder of the school, teacher
31years of teaching experience
PhD, holder of the top global certificates CELTA and TESOL, graduate of prestigious US programmes (Universities of Arizona, Oregon, George Mason), a certified trainer of the US Embassy and a speaker at the international TESOL and IATEFL conferences.