Distance Learning in Gerontology: The Future Is Here

Abstract

The student is offered access to enormous amounts of educational material that would be almost impossible to obtain through traditional educational experience. We are witnessing a in information technology that is dramatically changing society. The most obvious effect of the growth of the global computer communication infrastructure (the Internet and the World Wide Web) has been the introduction of a new option for obtaining information. If you wish to obtain a stock quote, read your favorite magazine or newspaper, buy a book, or find out about weather conditions in Hong Kong, this information can be at your fingertips in seconds. The Web is also changing the way we learn and makes the possibility of continual learning a reality. This revolution has important implications for those working in the field of aging. The will no doubt expand gerontological educational opportunities and ultimately have a positive effect on the lives of the elderly. While over 6.7 million Americans are enrolled in colleges and universities, and a large number of these are parttime learners aged 25 and over, an even larger adult population would like to attend college but cannot because of the problems many adults face in obtaining an education through traditional means. Inconvenient class hours, business travel, campus inaccessibility, childor eldercare, and physical disabilities often become impediments to attending on-campus courses. Yet, pressures generated by working in what has been referred to as a knowledge-based economy mean that many adults in the workforce require lifelong learning to upgrade skills, maintain licensure, or change careers. Distance learning may provide a solution for these adults and enable them to remain active participants in the workforce and in their community settings. Today, students write their term papers without leaving their homes or dormitories. Soon they may get their degrees without leaving their computer terminal, and work, raise a child, care for an elderly person, or even spend part of their day surfing more than the Net. PERSPECTIVE ON DISTANCE LEARNING Distance learning has been in existence for over seventy years. It has evolved from correspondence courses introduced in the I920s to televisionbased courses begun in the I96os. Often, in these early approaches, students never met with instructors. Distance learning methods, however, have diversified over time to include programs where students have maintained short residences with faculty on campus and later have completed their course work through correspondence. In the 1990s, technology has permitted us to reinvent the meaning and practice of distance learning. Most broadly defined, distance learning is any form of teaching and learning in which the teacher and the student may not be in the same place at the same and information technology is their common connection (Gilbert, I995). This form of learning can be both synchronous, where participants are together in real time, or it can be asynchronous, where the student can work on course material whenever it is convenient. When we discuss distance learning, it is important tO to focus on two distinct yet related aspects: first, technological links over distances and, second, particular dimensions of learning. A NEW APPROACH TO LEARNING While technology can be a powerful force to improve education, it is often adopted without a clear educational focus and without sensible strategic planning (Blumenstyk, I996). Expensive technology may be obtained or promoted primarily because it is offered for free or at a discount by a large company, because it is technically leadingedge, or because it is a way to reduce the size of faculty and facilities. It is critical to ask whether technology makes sense educationally and will truly advance student learning (Blumenstyk, 1996). Distance learning provides the opportunity to improve and offer an alternative to the current educational model in higher education. …