A qualitative study on transferring the experience of using technology from formal education to distance education

Abstract

With improvements in information technologies, distance education programs have become widespread. Institutions that offer distance education programs are increasing in number. Scholars who were used to face-to-face teaching began to give courses in distance education programs which entail technological teaching methods, a new teaching experience for the teachers. Formal education or face-to-face education and distance education have different dynamics. The transition to distance teaching from the first to the later involves the transmission of experiences of teaching with technology. For effective distance education, it is important to analyze the transmission of these teaching experiences. This study evaluates how faculty members' experiences with technologies in formal education are transmitted to distance education. Interviews were held with twelve scholars who have taught both formal and distance learning courses. The interviews were recorded. Content analysis method was used to obtain a deeper understanding of the data collected. It was found that the teaching materials used in the formal and distance educations were exactly the same. Some faculty members claimed that infrastructure and technical possibilities of the current system were not sufficient for the use of different teaching materials. However, this study suggests that teachers' beliefs about educational methods are the main reason that prevented the use of different teaching materials in distance education.