One teaching modality has come to the fore quite a bit in recent years, especially with the recent COVID-19 pandemic: it is distance education, or EAD, which is revolutionizing the way we teach and learn around the world.
And, contrary to what many think, the EAD system of education is not something new. It has been around for many decades, but in a different format: correspondence courses.
Over time, distance education has been perfected and, today, uses the to engage students and enhance learning.
But, in the end, what is a distance education or EAD system and how can it be applied in practice?
It is exactly what you will discover throughout this post. So, she continues reading to know more and understand how to do it.
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In our post you will see:
What is distance education?
As you may have seen at the beginning of the post, Distance Education (EAD) is a where the transmission of knowledge occurs through from Internet.
Thus, the relationship between tutor and student has the help of online tools and does not need a fixed space or a predetermined schedule to be carried out.
The absence of these barriers of time and place is precisely one of the factors that has been attracting a growing public, allowing access to diverse content from much simpler, dynamic, economical and faster way.
Today the EAD offers different online class options, going further of the courses found in and specializations. It is possible to find free courses in various areas of knowledge, such as cooking, languages, computing, aestheticsmusic and any other type of content that can be taught.
To get a good idea of the scope that the modality has achieved in recent years, we can see the data released for the study .
According to thisthe is currently experiencing increases of up to 30% year-on-year, which is well above the historical growth rates seen in traditional face-to-face education.
Given the large amount of data that is being generated and the growing variety of online classes, it cannot be denied that this modality is accumulating more and more followers and conquering a very significant space in the market.
This is an excellent opportunity not only for those who are thinking of but also for people who have interest in making a change in their professional life and venturing into digital entrepreneurship. If you are part of this last group, do not forget to analyze the possibilities that distance education offers.
In the next topics we will introduce you in a deeper way the , addressing its history from its beginnings to the present day. Join us and learn more!
How did distance education come about?
If you think that distance education is a completely current issue and that it only began to be discussed when the invaded people’s daily lives, you are very wrong.
The beginning of EAD as we know it today, that is, as an institutionalized teaching action, dates back to the 19th century, and had its first embryo in ancient Greece and Rome.
Two centuries ago, distance education was done through a mailing network. And believe it, there are records of people teaching things as diverse as shorthand techniques on postcards, language courses or safety techniques at work in mines.
Over the years and with the improvements in mail services produced by the development of means of transportation and communication, distance education became even more necessary..
For example, in the First World War many students had to flee their hometowns and, of course, leave educational institutions. so pIn order to reduce the impacts of the war, France created a distance education program by mail in mid-1939 that, over time, also included the use of radio to help transmit knowledge..
During that same periodLatin America also begins his first experiences with the EAD programs, mainly in Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and Venezuela, leading to new teaching methods around the world.
Already between the 60s and 70s, despite the fact that materials in written format were still the basis of teaching in EAD format, other distance teaching techniques began to be used. During this time it was already The incorporation of new resources, such as:
- recordings of Audio.
- Use of Video tapes.
- Radio and television broadcasts.
- Videotext.
- Use of the computer.
- Multimedia technology (combination of text, images and sound).
- Generation of alternative learning paths (such as hypertexts).
- Computerized tutorials.
Thus, what was initially created to be just a mode to overcome the educational deficits caused by the war or to update certain knowledge and techniques, it ended up becoming in an excellent alternative of education in the .
Y as you must have already noticed, all the progress of the EAD in recent years has consolidated it not only as a complementary learning system, but in many cases as the main basis for teaching.
Do you want to know more about how this market works? Follow the next topic!
How does distance education or EAD work?
When we talk about distance education, it is important to keep in mind that we are not just referring to 100% online courses. There is also the in which students have regular face-to-face meetings.
In common, the two modalities use a the AVA, which is a platform or software that brings together a set of tools that simulate a classroom.
In this system, teachers manage classes, monitor students and evaluate the performance of each of them remotely.
In addition, the AVA allows students to access all the contents of the course, such as notes, video classes.
There may also be synchronous activities, which require the presence of students and teachers in real time, as in a and asynchronous activities, where the teacher prepares exercises for the students to do outside of the simultaneous meetings.
When we talk about distance education, the courses can be classified as free and higher education.
1. Undergraduate and postgraduate courses
In recent years, many universities and educational institutions have adopted the EAD system as a way of attracting new students, offering undergraduate and postgraduate courses at a distance.
Today, there are in various areas, such as pedagogy, administration, marketing and engineering. So much variety in the offer undoubtedly contributed to the growth of the sector.
2. Free courses
The , in turn, are those that are not within the academic field. In other words, it is not necessary to have previous academic training or take an entrance exam to enroll in them.
Due to this, the dedication time can be less, the content is usually more direct and is focused on the learning of specific skills or the professional improvement of the student. For example, there are free courses on languages, gastronomy, aesthetics, personal finance and business, among other topics.
And, as free courses are more informal, they do not follow a single format, and can be short or long, free or not, for beginners or specialists, face-to-face or online, etc.
What are the distance learning formats?
As we have already seen, EAD offers different alternatives to approach the contents throughout a . Among the main formats used we can list:
- video classeswhich may be available as live streams, webinars, or recorded in a studio for later playback.
- audio contentsuch as podcasts or video classes in MP3 format.
- ebooks, containing the subject addressed in class and any other complementary information that can enrich learning.
- Presentations and infographicsvery effective in attracting the attention of students by offering content in a creative and differentiated way.
- Forums and chatswhich allow the exchange of ideas through debates and discussions in real time.
All these resources contribute to making the information move in an extremely dynamic way, greatly facilitating learning and contributing to the good performance of the students throughout the course.
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How are distance education platforms?
To ensure that all work properly, it is very important that the online teacher or the educational institution have the support of a good hosting platform.
This choice is very important, since this tool will store the available content and allow students to access study materials, activities and other information about their courses and records.
With a simple search you can find several companies that offer hosting services for online courses, just search for the that best suits your needs.
By hiring a good hosting service you will have personalized, with the most appropriate resources for the courses you offer and with specialized support, so that your only concern is to produce quality content.
What is the difference between online tutor and teacher?
In an online course, students can count on the support of two profiles of professionals who will play different roles throughout the learning day: the tutor and the .
So that you know more about the particularities and attributions of each one, we are now going to delve a little into this matter.
1. Online teacher
As in the face-to-face modality, in distance education the They are directly responsible for the transmission of knowledge, stimulating reflection in students, the formation of critical opinions and analytical vision.
For this, it is important that the professional knows how to and run online classes in a dynamic and engaging way, to keep students constantly engaged and motivated throughout their studies.
2.Online tutor
If the EAD teacher is the key piece for the production of the contents transmitted to the students, the tutor has the function of mediating the relationship between the first two, monitoring the activities of the virtual learning environment, observing the progress of the students and help them on their journey. Thus, her routine entails the following attributions:
- Solve students’ doubts about the content of the classes or about the operation of the platform.
- Correct exams and other evaluation tasks.
- Suggest new study materials complementary to the subjects.
- Produce pedagogical content together with EAD teachers.
To this end, it is important that the EAD tutor be well informed, not only about the…
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