Editing Distance education (section)

== Educational technology ==
The modern use of electronic [[educational technology]] (also called e-learning) facilitates distance learning and independent learning through the extensive use of [[information and communications technology]] (ICT),<ref name="CFP"/> replacing traditional content delivery with postal correspondence. Instruction can be synchronous and asynchronous online communication in an interactive learning environment or virtual communities, in lieu of a physical classroom. "The focus is shifted to the education transaction in the form of a virtual community of learners sustainable across time."<ref>Garrison, D.R. (20 May 2011). E-Learning in the 21st Century: A Framework for Research and Practice. New York: Taylor & Francis. {{ISBN|0-203-83876-9}}{{page needed|date=January 2017}}</ref>

One of the most significant issues encountered in the mainstream correspondence model of distance education is transactional distance, which results from the lack of appropriate communication between learner and teacher. This gap has been observed to become wider if there is no communication between the learner and teacher and has direct implications for the learning process and future endeavors in distance education. Distance education providers began to introduce various strategies, techniques, and procedures to increase the amount of interaction between learners and teachers. These measures e.g. more frequent face-to-face tutorials, and increased use of information and communication technologies including teleconferencing and the Internet, were designed to close the gap in transactional distance.<ref>Soekartawi, Haryono, A. & Librero, F. 2002. Greater Learning Opportunities Through Distance Education: Experiences in Indonesia and the Philippines. ''Journal of Southeast Asian Education'', Vol. 3, No. 2, pp. 283–320. Retrieved from [https://web.archive.org/web/20140307211743/http://www.seameo-journal.com/journal/index.php/education/article/viewFile/39/38]</ref>