Analysis of Teachers' Approaches to Distance Education

Abstract

Adapting teachers to evolving technology, and making them technology literate educators is a big challenge in today's world. However, teachers' attitudes towards new technologies are important in accepting changes in the responsibilities and roles. There are different reasons why teachers don't enjoy professional activities offered for them. It can be said that, first of all, professional activities offered do not meet their needs. In addition, the professional activities teachers are expected to participate conflict with their school activities and with their family responsibilities. Distance education can eliminate a large part of those reasons. For effective implementation of distance education, however, primarily the determination of teachers' attitude towards this technology is required. This study aimed to determine teachers' approaches to distance education. According to the survey conducted, the majority of participants stated that they wanted to participate in distance learning activities. On the other hand, participants, based on their observation about the distance education implementations, reported that distance education systems are insufficient in terms of content, materials used, evaluation methods, validity of certificate which is taken at the end of distance education and employment of opportunities. In addition, while more than half of the participants think that Turkish Open University programs are not adequate; about half of the participants that they don't trust distance education programs operated in Turkey. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.