Lost in terminology: e-learning vs. distance learning
Having been involved in delivering online courses in the past years, I often encounter the terms “e-learning” and “distance learning” as interchangeable. This always puzzled me, as I somehow had the feeling there had to be a difference, which I tried to formulate without much research, more based on my practice. Essentially, “distance learning” puts the emphasis on “distance”, lack of proximity, and not really on the tools and methods used. “E-learning”, on the other hand, is all about the medium and tools of delivery: using educational technologies. Distance education can be done through e-learning, but it is not limited to that, using other means such as mail correspondence and personal contact with tutors.
So that was more or less my educated guess, in a nutshell. These days I am spending quite a bit of time researching the fundamentals of educational technology and something I feel I have to clarify as early as possible is terminology. But if you think that being in the biggest educational science library in Europe helps me reach this goal, you cannot be further from the truth. Each book on the “technology in education” shelf adopts, literally, a different definition: of technology, of pedagogy, of learning, of e-learning, etc. And to be even more helpful, some authors point out precisely to this inflation of terms. So there you have it: my challenge for the coming days.
Meanwhile, I was quite happy to read a nicely formulated explanation of the distinction between “distance education” and “e-learning”; and it generally confirms my early assumption. Basically, even though the American literature does use the terms interchangeably, they do have different meanings. “Distance education” is more a mode of delivery rather than an educational philosophy. Its main characteristic is, indeed, the distance between the teacher and the learners; moreover, it has always been linked to very specific target groups who cannot, for various reasons, be present on campus. “E-learning”, on the other hand, does not imply the need for distance between educators and learners, as it can often take place on campus, to complement the classroom activities. Moreover, it is not limited to distance students, being used by all types of learners, at all levels. Unlike in the case of distance education, e-learning can be (and should be, I would argue) linked to a specific pedagogical approach and an own category of learning design. These should emphasise the integrated, enhancing and complementary role that technologies play in the educational process.
In other words: e-learning is all about learning with technology, be it on campus or remotely. It can be (part of) distance learning, but they are not necessarily synonymous. There we go, one small step in my quest to conquer educational terminology.
PS: And this is also my first step in trying to use the large amount of time spent on London buses in a meaningful way.