The Impact of Distance Education on Higher Education: A Case Study of the United States.

Abstract

Distance education has been credited for bringing education to students who would not otherwise have educational opportunities. This study used a qualitative case study approach to examine the research to determine the impact of distance education on higher education in the United States. This look into the impact of distance education is significant to higher education because informed knowledge of the impact will provide insight into the effects of overall education in the United States. The researchers asked the following two exploratory questions: What happened during the evolution of distance education in the United States? What themes emerged over time? The findings suggested that the impact of distance education on higher education in the United States has been change. It can be anticipated that in the future changes will continue to occur. Consequently, higher education has to be prepared to teach about change and teach students how to handle change.