Distance education: an experience of Turkey

Abstract

Distance education is ''a process to create and provide access to learning when the source of information and the learners are separated by time and distance, or both.'' (Honeyman, M. & Miller, G, 1993). With the rise of internet and web technology, distance education has become a growing phenomenon. Temptation of innovative technology, non-traditional ways of education and virtual learning make distance education more inviting for learners. However, in Turkey as a developing country, what is the situation? While learners try to get accustomed to new technology tools, teaching methods and especially program costs, besides responsibility of self-study and virtual learning, distance education can still be offered inner peace. As all of these innovations bring questions about the quality of the education being delivered; in this study, new trends and challenges of distance education in Turkey as developing country, will be discussed in the light of experiences of an undergraduate from Turkish distance education system.