Implications of Distance Education for CTE. ERIC Digest No. 227.

Overview & Synopsis

Distance education (DE) is increasingly seen as a powerful vehicle for delivering various types of education, including career and technical education (CTE). Fast-paced, pervasive changes in the economic, social, and technological foundations of education and educational delivery, including the increasing use of information and communications technology (ICT) as a medium for learning, have led to a resurgence in DE. Despite a lack of comprehensive nationwide statistics, Internet searching reveals numerous examples of postsecondary CTE DE via ICT. The need for faculty development for DE is a recurring theme. Learners, educational institutions, and CTE programs need physical access to the ICT networks used to deliver DE. DE via ICT can be expensive in both start-up and ongoing costs. The academic rigor of DE and appropriateness of ICT for hands-on learning have sometimes been questioned, as has the quality of current research on the effectiveness of DE in higher education. Because of existing copyright law, educators who use copyrighted materials in face-to-face settings (under fair-use guidelines) are often unable to use the same materials for DE. The character, quality, and standards of DE institutions and programs are critical issues for distance learners. The U.S. Department of Education recognizes these two specialty accrediting bodies for DE: Accrediting Commission of the Distance Education and Training Council; and Accrediting Commission of Career School and Colleges of Technology. (Contains 22 references.) (MN)