Cristina Cost (@cristinacost) posted this on twitter and I thought It was a great question to answer here:
"my impression from my searchers is that most non f2f PhD programs R 'distance learning'; not online/networked learning.Am I wrong?"
This is more than a question of definition, because there are differing views about what we mean about 'distance' and how each of us interprets 'distance' in our lives. Dictionary definitions for 'distance learning' range between
"Education in which students take academic courses by accessing information and communicating with the instructor asynchronously over a computer network" by The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
and
"an educational system, often postgraduate, in which students have minimal or no residency at the institution itself" by Dictionary.com's 21st Century Lexicon. Copyright © 2003-2009 Dictionary.com, LLC
I live and work in South America and so I think that because my school is in Tennessee, I participate in distance learning (or as some folks say, "distance education"). Yes, I travel to the school campus a couple of times per year for classes for a week or two. Then I travel back home to actually perform the study which those classes initiate. For me, this experience is one of 'minimum' residency at the institution.
On the other hand, in one distance learning online forum, I was flamed by members for describing my education as 'distance learning.' This is a forum which has clearly accepted the definition that distance learning involves only, "accessing information and communicating with the instructor asynchronously over a computer network." The participants in this forum seemed to be resistant (allergic or phobic?) to any kind of residency on campus being part of distance learning.
The school I attend crams a full term (all the classes for all the courses for the term) into one week. That represents 10-11 hours/day in class with lunch and dinner served family-style and mandatory for students and faculty, because it is considered faculty advising time. This makes for a week of 12-14 hour days on campus.
From my experience, this level of intensity is not specifically conducive to actual learning. It is an introduction to topics so that in further study I could actually learn something. That further study then becomes self-directed as I go through the syllabus (provided) and the literature (on my own) to learn the subject matter of that course. This study I perform at a distance is guided by a 4-month schedule of assignments.
So, back to Christina's question: "my impression from my searchers is that most non f2f PhD programs R 'distance learning'; not online/networked learning.Am I wrong?" For me, it seems that she has a presupposition that the meaning of 'distance learning' is NOT 'online/networked.' I personally agree with that understanding, but I have encountered folks who believe that 'distance learning' is ONLY 'online/networked.'
On the other hand, she also put "non f2f" into her question. So, this brings up another aspect of the question. I assume that her code represents "non face to face." And, for me "face to face" involves some kind of residency. Maybe, for some students, there is a possibility that an hour or two in face-to-face conversation with a faculty adviser or mentor represents face-to-face time, without there being any residency and I can understand that.
But for me, any trip of 6,000 miles that I make to have face-to-face time with faculty will be of some days duration, not just a couple of hours. I'll be there for some days.
This question is not going to be answered by a predefined meaning or definition, because there are folks out here in the world who have differing meanings in their minds about the topic. I'm glad that she posted her question, because it spurred me to write this post so I get a chance to air out my own experiences with the contrast between my views and the views of others about this.
