Unless you are directly involved with teaching online, have students taking courses online, or have taken an online course yourself, chances are that you find the concept of online education quite nebulous. You might not have any interest in it. Terms like distance education, fully online, blended courses, virtual courses, e-learning, hybrid courses, mixed-mode, asynchronous learning, distributed learning, Web-facilitated, and Web-enhanced learning add to the confusion (Picciano & Seaman, 2007, pp. 1-2). However, online learning is on the rise in K-12 education, and you should know some of the basics and issues surrounding it. It is adding flexibility to the traditional school experience, meeting the needs of specific groups of students, and increasing course offerings. If it has not already done so, it probably will affect your teaching scenario before too long. So, what‘s online education all about? Well ... it‘s all in who you ask or what resources you consult.
Confusing terms
There seems to be no unique definition of online learning. Terms are sometimes used incorrectly or interchangeably. It‘s not synonymous with distance education or distance learning. Watson and Ryan (2006) indicate that online learning is "Education in which instruction and content are delivered primarily via the Internet. Online learning is a form of distance learning" (p. 134). Distance learning has in past included correspondence courses and includes education delivered via CD-ROM or videoconferencing. Online learning is often confused with e-learning; however, this latter is an umbrella term referring to "Instruction and content delivered via digital technologies, such as online or CD-ROM, or learning experiences that involve the use of computers" (p. 134). E-learning can also be delivered via interactive TV or satellite broadcast (Worldwidelearn.com E-learning Glossary). Michigan Merit Curriculum Guidelines (2006) defines online learning broadly as "A structured learning activity that utilizes technology with intranet/internet-based tools and resources as the delivery method for instruction, research, assessment, and communication" (p. 1).
