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RESEARCH PAPER TEMPLATE

North American University
Education Department
M.Ed. in EDLE & CUIN
EDUC 5324: INTEGRATING TECHNOLOGY INTO EDUCATION
Name: Fatih Ersoy

Date: 10.19.2016

Topic Selected:
What does the research say about advantages and disadvantages of distance education?

1. LITERATURE REVIEW:
What does the literature/research say about this issue/topic? By using NAU
Library or Online Search engines, conduct a literature review.

You need to include 5 different sources (book, journal article, web article,
etc.) in your review. Try to use current sources as much as possible.

You need to summarize and synthesize your sources by discussing a

common theme or issue.

You don't need to critique your sources

You don't need to evaluate your sources (if the sources are trustworthy,
weather the author has a bias or not)

You need to provide background information such as history and

definitions

Brief Literature Review:

Distance education has rapidly and inevitably increased in educational systems. Although
distance education still has some drawbacks it has many benefits.
As far as the advantages of the distance education are concerned, distance education let
the world become a global school. It can invite many teachers and learners from a
different distance to teach, learn and discuss synchronously (Findley & Findley, 1997). In
addition, it provides a flexible time schedule for teachers (Mclsaac & Ralston, 1995).
Students can review the records whenever they want (Lee, Murphy, Chan, & Chung,
1997). Most distance learning systems can keep track of each students progress and can
make reports accessible for teachers and students (Moskowitz, 1995). Online courses
reduce the costs (Wheatley & Greer, 1995). Also, many students prefer distance
education (Hannay & Newvine, 2006).
On the other hand, distance education has some disadvantages. For example, it needs
much more time to prepare a distance course then face to face (Laney, 1996). The
interaction between student and teacher is limited because teachers and students cannot
see each other in a real context (Martin & Taylor, 1997). It is difficult to measure exactly
what a student learns from the interaction and discussions ( Hannay & Newvine, 2006).
Although materials and records are accessible every time, it requires more motivation and
self-discipline because students have full responsibilities for proceeding with the course
(Duffy, 1997).

2. REFLECTION:

What is your personal opinion on this issue? Do you agree with the
research? If you agree or disagree, please explain why?
Provide examples/experiences regarding this issue from school
perspective or If you are not working in a school, from your profession. Be
specific with your examples. You can mention software/hardware names,
specific methods that you plan to use, etc.
How would you implement this research in your career? (At least 1
paragraph)

Reflection:

Advanced technologies have created a new learning and teaching environment: distance
education. Distance learning has eliminated the limitation of the space for learning and
teaching. Therefore, it has a vital role on the future of the education. Although it is still
not good in some situations, its benefits are more than the cost. It is inevitable for todays
education. For example, I use Kahoot online program in my classrooms. Kahoot! is a
tool for using technology to administer quizzes, discussions or surveys. It is a gamebased classroom response system played by the whole class in real time. Multiple-choice
questions are projected on the screen. Students answer the questions with their
smartphone, tablet or computer. I dont have to spend the time to make exams copies, to
read the answers and evaluate them. By the help of Kahoot, students can enjoy fun, learn
and see their progress about how they learn. Therefore as teachers, we should acquire
necessary technology literacy as soon as possible to use distance education effectively.
After this literature review, my belief about using technologies in the classrooms became
stronger. We should use technological facilities in our teaching environment. We live in a
technological world.

3. REFERENCES:

Cite at least 5 References in APA.

You may use http://www.citationmachine.net/apa/cite-a-journal for citing
your sources in APA style.

References:

Duffy, J. P. (1997). College online: How to take college courses without leaving home.
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Findley, B., & Findley, D. (1997). Strategies for effective distance education.
Contemporary Education, 68, 118-120.
Hannay, M., & Newvine, T. (2006). Perceptions of distance learning: A comparison of
online and traditional learning. Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, 2(1), 111.
Laney, J. D. (1996). Going the distance: Effective instruction using distance learning

technology. Educational Technology, 36(2), 51-54.

Lee, V., Murphy, D., Chan, C. C., & Chung, L. (1997). Computeraided distance learning:
a case study. Open Learning, 12(1), 58-62.
Martin, M., & Taylor, S. A. (1997). The virtual classroom: The next steps. Educational
Technology, 37(5), 51-55.
Mclsaac, M. S., & Ralston, K. D. (1995). Teaching at a distance using computer
conferencing. Techtrends, 41(6), 48-53.
Moskowitz, R. (1995). Wired U. Internet World, 6(10), 60-61.
Wheatley, B., & Greer, E. (1995). Interactive television: A new delivery system for a
traditional reading course. Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, 3(4),
343-350.