Linking for Learning. A New Course for Education. Summary.

Overview & Synopsis

The Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) of the U.S. Congress was asked to analyze various technological options for distance education, examine current developments, and identify how Federal, State, and local policies could encourage more efficient and effective use of technology in education. Findings of the study, summarized in this brief report, include: (1) use of distance education in elementary and secondary education has increased dramatically over the past 5 years, but many students and teachers still do not have access to needed but distant experts and information; (2) rapid advances in technology are creating distance learning systems that are powerful, flexible, and increasingly affordable, but no one technology works for every application; (3) in most instances, distance learning appears to be as effective as face-to-face instruction in the classroom; (4) while reaching a small number of teachers today, distance learning will greatly affect the teaching force of tomorrow, requiring further training and institutional support; (5) state education agencies are both gatekeepers and catalysts for distance education; (6) federal and state regulations guiding the development of telecommunications infrastructure and services significantly affect distance education; and (7) federal funding for distance education has been important but modest. Four factors that will most affect the future of distance education are telecommunications policy; research, evaluation, and dissemination; support for teachers; and expansion of the infrastructure. (GL)