VOL. 25, No. 1
This second edition text called Handbook of Distance Education is an exceptional resource for distance educators across the continuum. It will also be valuable to trainers, policy makers, and administrators.
In this collection of papers from distance education authorities around the world, the reader will discover a comprehensive and intelligent presentation of “what we know” about distance education. This repository of information is especially helpful to those wishing to conduct research in distance education as well as those who wish to begin testing the waters of distance education as distance and online educators. As Moore points out, researchers and educators need to know what “is” before moving forward to new research and/or educational initiatives in this exciting and increasingly complex field.
The essays are organized according to six themes: historical and conceptual foundations; learners, learning, and learning support; design and teaching; policy, administration, and management; audiences and providers; and global perspectives. Each section includes several essays by world-renowned authorities and those Moore calls “rising stars.” The reader will discover essays that display thoroughness and thoughtfulness. While the text presents ideas and recommendations by distance education leaders, obvious care has been taken to ensure that the positions and opinions are meaningful for both novice and expert reading audiences.
Part I begins where one hopes such a collection would—with a consideration of the history of distance education and its theory. The principal idea is a point re-visited throughout the book: how much need and opportunity there is for research in the field of distance education. Part II situates distance learning within broader theories of learning, while also emphasizing the uniqueness of distance learning culture. When distance learning is discussed in relation to adult learning, particular attention is given to the fact that adult learners do not tend to learn in a linear fashion and that they bring life experience and prior knowledge to their educational experience. The effectiveness of distance learning in the K-12 sector is discussed, with effort taken to point out similarities and differences between older and younger learners: attention is given to student characteristics, course design and delivery, and administration and policy requirements. Part II closes with four papers that explore the concept of learner support in distance education.
In Part III, the papers explore a myriad of issues that face content experts and instructional designers/educational developers as they plan for effective distance education. Attention is given to decisions related to technology and media; course/program design; teaching-learning relationships and interactions; collaborative learning; and learning objects. In Part IV, the emphasis shifts somewhat to explore the role of administrators and managers in distance learning. Papers dealing with policy, institutional leadership, faculty issues related to workload and recognition, organizational structures, intellectual property, evaluation, and cost effectiveness emphasize the complexity of distance education and its relationship to the larger organization. In Part V, the principal suppliers and consumers of distance education programs are highlighted: the range is broad and includes elementary and secondary schools, colleges and universities, the corporate sector, continuing professional development organizations, and the armed forces. Finally, global perspectives comprise the focus of Part VI, wherein, topics such as borderless education, cultural diversity, cross-cultural education, and education in developing nations are examined.
Two characteristics that set this collection apart are its positioning of distance education and its inclusion of papers dedicated to emerging issues. Regarding the former, it is clear that Moore regards distance education to be the coming together of different areas of practice; as such, the framework that guides the collection is principally system-based. Simply put, while the teaching and learning experience is the heart of the distance education experience, it cannot unfold effectively without the layered infrastructure of management. In addition, there is strong evidence that Moore sees distance education to be about values—values of openness, access, flexibility, and so forth. Taken together, these ideas emphasize that distance education is a component of something larger than itself, and that, as a discrete field, it, too, is composed of a cross-section of sub-sets. Examples of the timely topics presented in the readings include group development in online education, theories of transactional distance, communities of inquiry, support for the disabled student and learning styles and multimedia.
In closing, The Handbook of Distance Education is a worthwhile investment of time and money. Moore, an internationally recognized scholar and educator in distance education himself, has ensured that no reader will be disappointed. Rather, the reader will discover a theoretically and empirically grounded selection of papers that enhance understanding of distance education as a professional practice field. Moore’s commitment to “Knowing What We Know” and, in turn, sharing this knowledge with interested educators and researchers, is not taken lightly.
Lorraine Mary Carter is a faculty member in the School of Nursing at Laurentian University in Sudbury, ON. Her research interests include critical thinking, scholarly discussion in online learning settings, technology-enabled education in health care, and telemedicine. Lorraine recently completed her PhD in Educational Studies from the University of Windsor. E-mail: lcarter@laurentian.ca