Distance education is also known as distance learning. This helps people who are not able to attend school or universities personally or are located in other countries. Distance learning mainly focuses on technology, instructional, andragogy and pedagogy systems. This way of learning allows teachers and students to communicate by either sending email messages or chat messages. They are also able to set the time they are going to meet online because students and teachers come from different countries therefore having different time.



The only reason to be physically present is when the students are required to take the exam. This is said to be blended or hybrid course of learning. There are different kinds of technologies that are used to implement this kind of education which are asynchronous and synchronous.

The synchronous method requires the teachers, students and other participants to be present at the same time. So this method will need the organization of the time of each participant. The tools used for this method are telephone, web and video conferencing. On the other hand, asynchronous method allows the participants to be able to acquire their study materials on their own time. There is a repository where the course materials needed are uploaded, so the participants can just download it. The tools used for this method are audio cassette, email, forums, printed materials, voice mail, fax and videocassette.

There are also different kinds of distance education degree which are:

1. Correspondence that is accomplished by sending regular mail.

2. Conducted through Internet using either asynchronous or synchronous.

3. Broadcast or Telecourse where in the needed information is relayed through television or radio.

4. CD-ROM where in the students will listen or read the content of the CD.

5. Mobile Learning in which the students are able to read content through their mobile phone or PDAs.

6. Integrated learning system in which live, in-group instruction is integrated.

Since the development of distance learning courses, the technologies used have also evolved since there are a lot of developments when it comes to technology. Though, the radio is still used up until know because the distance it can reach. In other countries, the radio has been used by children to be able to participate in "School of the air". The FM channel is very useful because it is used to broadcast different educational programs, agricultural programs, science education and the like.

With the popularity of mp3 players, iPods, mobile phones it is easier for students to be able to save their course materials and just listen to it wherever they are. For some professors, they allow their students to listen or watch educational materials even in school.

Though, in its early days, distance education degree has had several problems. Cheating during exams and quizzes has been always a problem because the professors are not able to watch the students. That is why when this problem became rampant they have required students to be physically present to take exams and quizzes.