The Evolution of Distant Learning
And just like that … I’m back! Welcome to the Arrant Artificer, a space intended to explore instructional design through constructive and intellectual conversations between novice and seasoned ID professionals. Over the next several weeks, conversations will focus on the topic of distance learning – what it is, its influences, drivers of its evolution, and its role within the field of instructional design. The definition with which I enter the conversation surrounding the concept of distant learning is that it broadly encompasses the delivery of instruction for learning to occur in varying geographic spaces, at varying times, and in diverse ways that allow the learner flexibility in when, where, and how they learn. A review of resources finds that perceptions of distance often emerge from perspectives rooted in the professional domain (Simonson et al., 2019). The resources offer a more universal definition that distinguishes distant learning as the formal delivery of academic-based