Nature of distance education is changing, notes Financial Times report on Distance Learning

So much so that some of the leading global institutes that are engaged in distance learning courses are ready to drop distance from their nomenclature itself. Financial Times (FT), in his report on Distance Learning (published on March 19) quotes James Fleck, dean of UK based Open University Business School (OUBS) saying: We are trying to drop the term distance learning. I dont think it accurately portrays what OUBS does.

Rapid proliferation of cheap and ubiquitous communication technologies likes Internet, mp3 players, and Broadband networks are connecting students and faculty easily and frequently, notes the report. The Report cites that Strathclyde Graduate School of Business in Scotland has renamed its distance learning MBA as the Flexible Learning Programme.

Distance learning and e-learning providers in UK and US are mixing many communication tools and creating a hybrid model that combines the best of communication technology and personal interactions. They argue that better nomenclatures for their courses can be Ubiquitous learning or Personalized learning.

In India too many e-learning providers like NIIT Imperia and Hughes Systems are offering course with tie-ups with leading B-schools that offer dual benefit of new technology and face-to-face dialogue. Given the benefits of technology and massive demand for quality management education, rise in technology-supported management education is expected to continue in future.