Teaching the Distance Learner

Abstract

From the early days of radio broadcasting in the 1930s to the development of television and cable television, educational programmes for the public's use have been offered to fulfil the broadcaster's mission to entertain, inform and educate the public. Initiative of educators to integrate electronic transmission as a useful adjunct tool for teaching outside the traditional classroom has been tentative throughout these 50 years. This paper identifies the potential audience of distance learners as adults who seek education to re‐enter the job market or for personal enrichment, children in rural areas who need specialized courses for enrichment or college preparation, and the third group, those employed in business and engineering who update their skills to remain contemporary. Summaries of successful experience in distance teaching for each group are presented. Technology is now available to reach distance learners throughout the world. What is lacking is a strong commitment from educators to utilize non‐traditional methods of reaching the distance learner with resulting benefits to the educational opportunities for both teacher and learner.