Gunawardena\'s Remarks on Distance Learning,

Gunawardena's remarks on distance learning, he makes the main points: acclimating educators and centers of education, universities and colleges, to an online environment where education information was once culled from, and now using that same environment to disseminate education. Gunawardena's second point was: how does cultural diversity impact distance learning, and how do educators ensure that the online process of education overcomes communication barriers, language barriers, to comply with learning standards and requirements. This is a brief reflection on these remarks, and the idea is to thoroughly discuss online education in a way that resolves Gunawardena's concerns.

Distance learning is going to increase, and it represents, as Gunawardena said, challenges to the educator, whose teaching style and methods will need to be adjusted to that technological transfer of teaching to learners. While this is a change, it is one that, as distance learning has become increasing utilized by colleges and universities, has been successful, which manifests itself by the increased numbers of courses being taught by distance learning. The educator's fears that distance learning will one day eliminate the educator's role in higher education, is unfounded, and seems to me rooted in the fear of the unknown. Educators will in fact become increasingly more important in distance education, and, like physicians, will be able to focus on their specialty in a way that affords them greater audiences in teaching. The expanded teaching audience should result in increased payment for the value of the educator's services to the educator.

Groups of educators will be able to form their own centers of academic services, apart from the college, and rather than being employees of a college or university, the educators will have an opportunity to realize greater potential in their value as educators as a business. The better the educator, the more valuable the fee will be from the institution, to the educator, for agreeing to serve as educator in a distance learning program. Also, as independent distance educators, these highly successful distance professors will be able to offer their services to a wider range of students.

The wider range of students could expand globally, taking advantage of the emerging global community. The educator's fears that the cultural limitations of a student receiving distance learning in a setting that is not traditional, and the concern as to the communication problems arising out of that setting, are, again, based in fear of the unknown. The educator, whose reputation for success and achieving outstanding performance with students on a distance learning course, should put aside fears of communication gaps, because it will be incumbent upon the student to resolve those problems, and the centers through which the distance taught course is offered will be ultimately responsible for working with the student to resolve any communication problems.