Surpassing Online Learning Obstacles

Abstract

In the last decade, the use of Internet and wide-band access have supported the spread of distance learning through the Web, which we will call Online Teaching. Schools and universities have been rethinking their teaching practices and educational policies in establishing online teaching programs. Online Teaching becomes not only a new pedagogical model or an educational technology, but also a new social model and technology, gathering each time more students at decreasing costs. Nevertheless, Online Teaching is far from achieving its maximum potential. Personal, methodological, technological, and institutional restrictions are usually associated with important limitations. As an example, teachers may not attend many students without affecting the quality of the online learning process. Clearly, this may impose serious restrictions to a major growth of the number of students attended and/or the quality of the learning process.