Role Of Information Technology In Distance Learning

Published Date: 02 Nov 2017

Introduction

One of the fields that have been affected by the scientific revolution that started in the 1950s has been the field of education. With the innovations and inventions that have been brought about by information technology, the field of education has been affected by these developments that have been considered as the third wave changes. Various expectations and requirements have developed in this field. The ability of the traditional system in institutions to meet these expectations has been over powered and the system of information technology has come in as a timely replacement since the abilities of information technology can meet these expectations. This has been boosted by the variety of tools that the system of information technology has, making it possible to handle the various requirements that come with the increasing demands in education. This paper shall describe the role played by different information technologies in providing distance education. This description shall include presentation of the merits as well as the demerits that come with use of information technology in delivering distance education.

According to Rao (2010), one of the reasons for the success of information technology in distance learning is because the learners are remote and are large scale. This makes it difficult for them to visit their institutions on a daily basis. Further, it is difficult for the institution to provide the services to students at various phases of the learning life cycle of the students. This limitation makes information technology a perfect solution for the need to find education by students who are not close to their educational institutions.

One important tool in distance learning is the internet. This is the means that can be used by the institution in disseminating knowledge to students who are far from the institution. In addition to the world wide net, a structured network that is interconnected would be used by the institution in making all the relevant information available for use by the students. All the educational material can be found in the internet once the students have access to the service provider. Besides, the email function can be used for exchange of documents and any other relevant material such as assignments between the students and their lecturers. Most information is stored in the internet in electronic format. This implies that access to this information is made easy by use of the internet. Another advantage of the internet is the variety of information that can be accessed by the users. Information that is accessed through the internet sources is worldwide and provides so much content to the reader. However, the internet makes some students lazy since they can get all the information they want by the click of a button. This would limit their ability to research in details because easy information is available in the internet.

Another important facility that is useful for distance learning is the computer. A personal desktop or a laptop is the platform where work can be produced and data accessed. For anyone to access the internet, it is necessary to have the computer if not other gadgets of communication. In addition, the computer makes computing of information and ensures effective management of information. Computer applications and accessories such as Microsoft office and Microsoft project, together with the variety of software that can be installed in the computer make it a friendly tool for use in distance learning. The computer mediated communication can be used effectively in providing communication between the lecturer and students. It is advantageous to have computers because they make the learning process quicker. They also have multimedia tools combined with graphic, print, and video and audio capabilities that can aid in making education more interactive. This makes it easier for the students since they can understand better what they learn. The demerits of the computer include the high rate at which computer technology changes. This requires that the user keeps changing with the technology so as to keep use modern tools (MyDistance Learning Web, 2013).

The system and application software are required for the development of software that would be used by students during their learning and the support services that are used in the different phases of the learning cycle of students. In distance learning, the software is the software is the main component that can be used in providing various support services to students. This software has to be accessed anywhere and at any time by the students. The systems are also used during the learning cycle of the students. The software is advantageous because it enables the students to perform various tasks through their computers. Through the software like the design software and other academic software like MatLab, students can carry out their design and computing at ease. Besides, the interaction with this computer software makes the work done by the students easier since the computer only takes the instructions given by the students. Software integrates material and organizes it so that it can be accessed through the computer. Through software, students can make recordings of lessons, access pictures and make notes at the convenience of their own. However, the software has strict security protocols that require only students who are registered to use them (Lau, 2000).

In addition to the above infrastructure, interactive video and audio are important tools that facilitate real time communication through the use of phones and the computer. For instance, the Voice over Internet Protocol allows the voice of a person to be transmitted using an internet connection. In addition, voice and other multimedia presentations can be delivered to a class while questions and answers are ongoing in real-time. This makes distance learning appear more realistic than the distance would allow. For instance, students can communicate with their lecturers directly and seek any clarifications hence making distance learning seem real. Video conferencing makes the students appear to be in class. However, this feature could present distorted information in cases where the accent of the lecturer or the student is not clear. This would require further clarification on what has been communicated (Khosrow-Pour, 2006).

Conclusion

Distance learning has been boosted greatly by the advent of information technology. The various technologies support the program since they work to ensure that distance learning appears to a real-time activity. Various supporting institutions have been created to facilitate distance learning. For instance, virtual institutions have been created; like the e-library, and they provide rapid services and convenience to students. It is the duty of students to ensure that they keep abreast with the developments in technology so as to effectively utilize the services provided by information technology.