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Unit-30: Open and Distance Education

WradMayor (1977) expresses his ideas by saying that, “Independent Study arranges various stages Notes
of teaching-learning, in which teacher and students maintain the required work and responsibilities
without interacting with each other, they communicate through various methods. The purpose of
the Independent Study is to make school students free from inappropriate location and place and to
provide opportunities to students out of school to continue their studies in the environment.” This
improves the students’ ability of self-study.
In the above defi nition WradMayor has used the word “Independent Study” in place of Distance
education.
Peters (1973) says, “Distance Education is a new and emerging academic structure which provides
knowledge, skills and fulfils desired needs. It is a distant education which is able to teach people.”

According to Malcolm Adisheshaiya (1981)—“It refers to the teaching learning process undertaken
where a space and/or time dimension intervene between the teaching and learning.”
Dr. Kumar (1996)—“Distance education is therefore, anyone or a combination of various forms of study
other than the continuous and immediate supervision of teachers in classroom situations. Lessons
from educational psychology and theories of learning are employed in the design and development
of instruction. Planning, preparing, tutoring, guidance and counselling and evaluation of learning are
done with due regard to the latest developments in instructional design.”
According to G. Rama Reddi (1998)—“Distance education is an enforcing, unconventional and

informal system which fulfils the needs of both the students whether he studies in campus or off
campus.” He further says, “Basically, distance education emphasize on the detachment of students
and teachers which provides an opportunity of self-learning to students. They communicate through
the methods which are available; for example- letter or electronic communication, telephone, telex
and fax, two way radio in which calculator and TV are attached and a video disc controlled by the
calculator etc.
In the words of Dr. Kulshrestha—Distance education is a method of comprehensive and non-formal
education; in which students located at a distance place obtain educational objectives by using
selected option from the options sponsored by educational technology. They can be of following
types—
(1) Well-structured self-instructed contents (2) Books, and research related journals, the SAT (3) Charts,
models, poster and other visual contents (4) Television and radio broadcasting and so on.
Teachers and students in distance education cannot communicate directly in the verbal terms. Distance
points towards the following distances between teachers and students

1. Distance of place between teachers and students (physical distance).
2. Time lag between the preparation of lesson/learning contents and their communication.
3. Distance between communication of lessons and learning contents and their study and learning.
Due to the above mentioned distance in distances in learning and teaching process this type of education
is called as distance education.

30.2 Characteristics of Distance Education

On the basis of above definitions, the characteristics of distance education are given below—
1. Distance education is a well-structured and well-organized system of learning-teaching.
2. There are no bonds of face-to-face teaching and learning.
3. This system is connected to the needs, levels and daily tasks of the students.

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