Distance Edu International Distance Education Thesis

Countries like the United States are leading the way in providing global access to advanced educational material. NASA's Digital Learning Network, in conjunction with the United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA), Discovery Education and Polycom are allowing middle school students around the globe to remotely visit and survey NASA space and research centers. Participating schools include those in developing nations like Mexico and India (Polycom 2008).

One of the ways distance education can be harnessed to help poor nations prosper is through enterprise-level training and access. Multinational corporations with headquarters in developing nations can hire educational institutions to develop specialized training software, hardware, and distance learning applications. Participants can use the learning opportunities to help labor forces in developing nations move beyond the yoke of unskilled labor and toward more skilled positions ranging from language translation and communications to information technology and engineering. Distance learning can help companies prosper too, by helping to train local populations that are already adept at navigating the unique cultural parameters of the regional business environment.

International agencies can support the development of distance learning in poor countries. The World Bank has already acknowledged the importance of knowledge development in stimulating economic growth worldwide (Moore & Kearsley 2005 p. 282). Funding educational endeavors should become a top priority for global trade groups hoping to stimulate economic development. Distance education consortiums help promote learning by offering multiple institutions access to a central and robust database of academic resources and technological tools used for course development.Distance education has not yet reached its full potential for helping poor countries catch up to their wealthier counterparts. Geography may be an irrelevant factor for acquiring distance learning, but the infrastructure needed to provide poor people in remote regions of the world does often depend on proximity to wealthy and technologically advanced countries. For example, Moore & Kearsley (2005) point out that Korea and Ghana once had the same per capita income but Korea speedily advanced ahead of Ghana due to educational advancements and acquisition of knowledge. Undoubtedly Korea's geographic position, its investment in technology development, and its trade relationships with advanced nations like Japan and the United States helped propel distance education there more than in Ghana. As distance education infrastructure becomes more pervasive worldwide, the playing field will become more level for learners around the globe.

References

Moore, M. & Kearsley, G. (2005). "The Global Span of Distance Education." Chapter 11, in Distance Education: A Systems View. Thomson/Wadsworth.

Polycom (2008). Students Study Climate Change in Antarctica and Visit NASA Space Centers During National Distance Learning Week. Press Release. Market Watch. Retrieved Nov 18, 2008 at http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/Students-Study-Climate-Change-Antarctica/story.aspx?guid={BCDE117F-3581-45DC-A60A-63E46B7A073B}.....