Distance Learning Lecture Notes PDF

EDT 323: DISTANCE LEARNING MOELS AND TECHNOLOGIES LECTURE NOTE 1 EDT 323: DISTANCE LEARNING MOELS AND TECHNOLOGIES Introduction In this modern society, which is highly characterized by information super flux, minimum education is required to enable one function maximally in...

EDT 323: DISTANCE LEARNING MOELS AND TECHNOLOGIES LECTURE NOTE 1 EDT 323: DISTANCE LEARNING MOELS AND TECHNOLOGIES Introduction In this modern society, which is highly characterized by information super flux, minimum education is required to enable one function maximally in all fields of human endeavor. Undoubtedly, education remains the most powerful tool for unlocking the destinies of men. It is for this reason that the current global chorus of Education for All (EFA) becomes apt and beneficial. This is intrinsically-woven in the concept of inclusive education. Inclusiveness is a form of education that extends its dragnet to cover the educational needs and aspirations of all categories of people (unemployed, underemployed, disabled, women and children, the poor, nomads, traders and the disadvantaged and most vulnerable people). The Concept of Distance Learning Distance learning is any form of learning experience provided for a target population at a distance. This implies that, in distance learning, both the teacher and the learner are at polar extremes in the teaching-learning process. The polarity or separation of teachers and learners is greatly enhanced by an array of technologies, websites and applications during instructional delivery. Other synonyms for distance learning include but are not limited to, distance education, online or eLearning, open learning, etc. As stated earlier, distance education is a form of education where the teacher and the learner are physically-separated, but psychologically-bonded, in the teaching-learning encounter. They are psychologically-bonded because there exists a consciousness between instructors and instructees that teaching or learning contents are prepared and transmitted through any medium that necessarily transmits and provokes learning, in the long-run. Distance learning 2 is seen as open learning because it is not confined to a particular place or venue. This form of education takes place anytime, anywhere and at one's convenience. It is for this reason that some would want to refer to this form of education as “school without walls”. It provides a limitless access to education. In some situations, however, distance education is combined with the traditional classroom face-to-face interaction. This form of distance education, which combines face-to-face with non-face-to-face interaction, is referred to as blended or hybrid distance learning. This is not completely distance education in that ordinary sense because it is interlaced with periodic face-to-face interaction. Distance education is a distinct and different mode of education that promises a scepter of change. This is because the formal or traditional form of education characterized by face to face instruction, condensed in a structured classroom setting, and has proved incapable and inadequate of meeting the varied educational needs of the larger segment of the population. Majority of people had no opportunity or disposition to attend the formal school system; some dropped out and want to re-learn. Others, because of distance or tight work schedules or frequent postings or transfers, cannot enroll in the formal school system. These make the introduction of distance and remote education very apt and timely. Distance education directly propagates inclusive education as a means of catering for the education of all in order to live and lead meaningful lives in the present advanced economy. Distance education is “school without walls”. It is a form of “second chance” education. It is life-long and life- wide. This means that distance education spans the entire gamut of life. It is life-wide because it covers all forms of training. Distance education has a robust and an omnibus 3 curriculum, very rich in content and addressing the varied needs of learners or attendees. It also provides a wide range of certificates: diploma, degree, postgraduate diploma, master‟s and Ph.D. Most programmes of distance learning are professional in nature, thus providing technical skills and training to meet the demands of the fastchanging, automated and ever- growing workforce. However, the recent outbreak of Corona Virus (COVID-19) pandemic which ravaged the entire global community and its attendant death toll has further lent credence to the distance learning option. This is because the pandemic put the world at a standstill as most communities were encouraged to observe both pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical protocols. Schools, churches, mosques, markets and sporting activities were all locked down for several months and learning suffered. In fact, this situation gave impetus to ferreting new learning options beyond the classroom interaction. The old technological options were also re-invigorated to support distance education. Currently, a number of websites and Apps are used to entrench distance learning, such as Google Classroom, Kahoot, Lesson-Up, Classflow, Hearpod, Audacity, Udemy, Duolingo, Edublog, Zoom, Facebook, Examinerng, Study Blue, Eductree, Blackboard and Telegram, etc. Today, distance education is flourishing and people are gradually adjusting and adopting it as a way of life and learning, if for nothing else, to forestall future educational lockdown. To utilize these websites/Apps for distance learning, a great deal of digital literacy and funds to procure Android/smartphones, tablets, computer and data is required. 4 The Definition of Distance education Distance education is education which either does not imply physical presence of the teacher appointed to dispense it in the place where it is received or in which the teacher is present only in specific occasions or selected tasks. This definition is in tandem with blended distance education. To Perraton (1988), distance education is an educational process in which a significant proportion of the teaching is conducted by the teacher separated in space and/or time from the learner. Mehroha, Hollister and McGahey (2001) see distance learning as any form of instruction in which the majority of instruction occurs while educators and learners are not in each other‟s physical presence. Peter (1973) describes distance education as a method of imparting knowledge, skills and attitudes which is rationalized by the application of division of labor or organizational principles as well as the extensive use of technological media especially for the purpose of producing high quality teaching materials which make it possible to instruct a large number of students simultaneously irrespective of their location. According to Bisong (2002), distance education is a form of education that negates a person- to-person contact while employing the use of technical equipment. Webster Dictionary describes distance education as a method of study where teachers and students do not meet in a classroom but use the internet (email) to have classes, or teachers are separated from students or peers. Distance learning can also be referred to as web-based education or distributed learning (Shelly, Cashman, Gunter and Gunter, 2008). A mental tour through the various strands of definitions cited by these scholars shows that distance education emphasizes the separation of the teacher and student during the teaching and learning process using appropriate technologies (print, electronics and websites and 5 Apps); learning takes place individually and remotely. However, distance education is more affordable and accessible; and it addresses the needs of different categories of learners. Characteristics of Distance Learning 1. Distance education relies heavily on a multiplicity of technical equipment and technologies for the delivery of coursewares and educational contents to distant learners. Examples include prints (course textbooks, study guides, modules, manuscripts); and electronics (radio, television, telephone, electronic mails). Students also receive materials by post and online using websites and various Apps like Smartslate Games, U-lesson, Classflow, Zoom, Edublog, Google Classroom, Youtube, Duolingo, Udemy, Edutree, etc. 2. The overall success of distance education depends on the efficiency, effectiveness and cooperation of both participants (organizers of the programme and the students who are the immediate beneficiaries). 3. It is highly non-face to face. Teachers and students are separated from each other in time and space in the delivery of instruction. 4. Since there is little or no contact between teachers and students, the relationship between them is formal and highly- restricted. 5. Distance learning makes use of existing channels of communication and infrastructure available to learners in their vicinity. These include available radio and television channels and bandwidth, post offices, town halls and viewing or study centres and, sometimes, virtually. 6  6. Sometimes, workshops, seminars and meetings are organized to enable the organizers/officials of distance learning familiarize and interact with their students as well as address the problems or concerns raised by distant learners. 7. The programmes and curricula of distance education are broad, leading to the award of certificates, diplomas, degrees, postgraduate degrees and other professional certificates. 8. The course wares, monographs and modules used for distance learning are designed and produced by experts in their subject areas with inbuilt self-evaluation procedure. 9. To some extent, distance education programme makes provision for periodic instructor-instructee or student-student interaction. 10. Sometimes, there are logistic and administrative problems in the development and delivery of course wares and examination materials to learners. For example, materials reach learners late or do not get to them until the end of that contact. 11. There is noticeable inadequate feedback between the organization/study centres and students on one hand, and between the instructors/facilitators, on the other hand. Goals of Distance Learning The goals of distance learning are enshrined in a policy document, referred to as the National Policy on Education (Revised 2004). The goals of Distance Education in Nigeria shall be to: a. Provide access to quality education and equity in educational opportunities for those who otherwise would have been denied education. b. Meet special needs of employers by mounting special certificate courses for their employees at their workplace. 7  c. Encourage internationalization especially of tertiary education curricula. d. Enhance the effect of external and internal brain drain in tertiary institutions by utilizing Nigerian experts as teachers regardless of their location or place of work. APPROACHES (MODELS) OF DISTANCE LEARNING Basically, there are three approaches to or models of distance learning, namely: Media-Based, Sponsor-Based and DidacticBased models. These models attempt to shed light on how distance education is conceptualized and practiced in both advanced and developing countries of the world. 1. Media-Based Model Sometimes referred to as the traditional model of distance learning, media-based model lays emphasis on the use of multimedia (print, audio, video and electronic, websites and Apps) in the delivery of distance learning. According to this model, the success of any distance education programme depends overwhelmingly on the use of a multiplicity of technologies and Apps in the effective and efficient delivery of educational programmes to the target audience, anywhere and anytime. In distance education, prints (course-textbooks, programmemed texts, fliers, modules and monographs) are more extensively used in conjunction with other media like radio, television, video, computers including websites in delivering distance education to its clientele. It is said to be the traditionalbased approach because, in a sense, it was the earliest form of distance learning and other models also emphasize the media element. 8  Prints Audio Video Computer Distance Study Courses on Televised Computer-assisted Texts (Modules, Radio courses instruction monograph, etc.) Audio Video Email Magazines cassette cassettes Internet Newspapers, etc. Telephone Teleconferencing WhatsApp Kahoot Zoom Edublog Fig. 18: Media-Based Model Ulearn, etc. 2. Sponsor-Based Model The Sponsor-Based Model focuses on who sponsors distance learning programme. Three levels of sponsorship are involved, namely: Private, Joint and Public. Some distance learning programmes are sponsored privately, perhaps with the primary aim of maximizing profit. Some programmes are jointlysponsored by either individuals and organizations or organizations and government, while others are sponsored publicly by government as a social service intervention using the tax payer‟s money. Even though emphasis is on the nature of sponsorship, the media element is not ruled out in the delivery of distance education to the target audience. The model is represented in the diagram below: 9  Private Joint Public Individuals Individuals Gover nment Government Organizations Government Organizations (NOUN) Fig. 19: Sponsor-Based Model 3. Didactic-Based Model This model lays emphasis on the programme type or how distance learning programme is organized. The basic issue is: Is the distance learning programme through correspondence, consultancy or Open University? In the correspondence sub-type, an institution designs, develops and dispatches the course materials to distant learners who, in turn, interact with the materials and send feedback to the institution by post or online. Everything is carried out through correspondence and, at the end, the students are evaluated. In consultancy, study centers are created and the students/learning activities are coordinated by the organization/institution mounting the programme. In the Open University sub-type, a university is established with a charter to open study centers all over the area of coverage and coordinate their activities. Distance learners are given course materials which they interact with and, at agreed period(s), students are examined. Successful students are given different certifications: certificate, diploma, degree and postgraduate degree. 10 Again, this approach relies on the media to convey course contents to learners. A typical example in Nigeria is the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN). The diagram below shows how distance learning is carried out. Didactic-Based Model Correspondence Consultancy- Open University Type School Based Programme Type Course materials Institutional Assignments coursewares Feedback to students Fig. 20: Didactic Model of Distance Learning Traditional Technologies for Distance Learning There are several and appropriate technologies that can be harnessed and properly integrated into the effective delivery of distance education. Some of these technologies are discussed here: Prints Prints are textual materials that appeal to the sense of vision and are very useful in the delivery of distance education. Prints are the most highly-patronized, because of their availability, 11 accessibility and affordability. They are well-written out by experts in modules, units and frames for easy understanding and self-evaluation, covering a wide content area. They are usually distributed to students based on their subject areas and career choices. Examples of prints used for distance learning are coursewares, textbooks, modules, manuals, manuscripts, newspapers, journals, fliers, etc. Merits 1. Prints provide more in-depth analysis and detailed information in many subject areas. 2. Prints are the most ubiquitous and accessible materials for distance learning. 3. They are cheaper to procure or produce and maintain, by distance learners. 4. Prints provide more permanent records and information for learners. 5. Prints promote individualized learning as learners study at their own pace. 6. Prints are more flexible in the sense that they are adaptable to many purposes. 7. Prints are user-friendly if they are properly printed. Demerits 1. Effective utilization of prints require a great deal of literacy. 2. Prints encourage high dependency syndrome as the materials are almost always consulted by learners in the course of instruction. 3. Prints are difficult to store or manage. For this reason, many prints are being defaced or destroyed by rodents, rain or the process of attrition (wear and tear) of the materials by themselves. 4. Unreliable delivery system and delays from service providers through the post office or other means of delivery before it gets to the students. 5. The problem of non-availability or inadequacy of these materials sometimes exist. 12  6. Prints promote memorization as most teachers may require learners to reproduce verbatim what is in the text. Radio This is one of the oldest and commonest devices for distance learning. It is the fastest means and has a good penetrating effect. It is used to reach out to distance learners at agreed or scheduled periods simultaneously. It is relatively cheaper and is very useful for language teaching, drama, poetry, etc. It provides valuable auditory experience to learners through information broadcast, discussion or talks. Educational messages are taped for use at scheduled times. Merits 1. Radios are very portable. They can be carried along easily by learners. 2. Cheaper to buy and maintain than television. 3. It is the fastest means of reaching out to distance learners. Demerits 1. Lectures through radio are transient and short-lived compared to prints. 2. The use of radio for instruction does not enhance feedback. 3. It calls for time-consciousness without which students are bound to miss their lectures. Television The word television comes from the Greek words tele (meaning far away or a distance) and vision (something seen). This implies that television simply means seeing or viewing at a distance. It is an audio-visual device that receives sound and images which create television programmes that people watch. Television converts visual 13 images (with sound) into electrical signals which are transmitted or displayed electronically on a screen. The use of television in distance learning promotes education for recreation and relaxation. As distant learners view their educational programmes on television, they become more enthusiastic, motivated, relaxed and active participants in the learning process. In Nigeria, the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) coordinates the activities of television stations and their educational programmes. These programmes are transmitted throughout the length and breadth of the country for distance learners at scheduled periods. Merits 1. The audio and visual potency of television generates enough popularity for television mode of delivery of distance education. 2. Arising from the above factor, learners are more actively involved in their learning programme. 3. It promotes recreation/leisure and entertainment while receiving lectures simultaneously. Simply put, it is education for leisure or enter-educate approach to learning. 4. It promotes individual differences among learners. Learners with visual impairment will hear, while those with hearing difficulties will watch these educational programmes on television. Demerits 1. Education through television is expensive and unaffordable by many learners. 2. Epileptic power supply renders the use of television for instruction a serious problem. 3. Poor signals due to weather conditions pose a serious hindrance to effective transmission of educational programmes to most rural communities, especially. 14  4. Besides being expensive to procure, its maintenance is also on a high side. 5. Unlike radio, television requires technical skills for its manipulation and display which may be lacking amongst distance learners. 6. There is no provision for immediate feedback. Websites and Apps for Distance and Remote Learning Overtime, distance learning has been facilitated by media, such as radio, modules/coursewares, television, etc. Of recent, events and situations have unfolded new platforms, websites and applications that make distance and remote learning more result-oriented, interactive and highly- participatory and collaborative. More than anything else, the Corona Virus pandemic (COVID-19) has radically altered the pedagogical process, rendering about 1.6 billion learners out-of-school globally (UNESCO). For this reason and others, the global community has evolved new approaches or strategies for learning. In fact, new websites and applications have evolved to make the learning process seamless. Some of these websites/applications are designed specifically for learning, while some are just coopted to facilitate learning. In the parlance of educational technology, websites/applications originally designed for the purpose of instruction are technically referred to as media-by-design. Examples of such applications include: Ulearn, Ulesson, Kahoot, Edublog, Udemy, Open Online Course, Google Classroom, Jamb CBT practice, examiner.ng, good reads, study blue, inmaths, duolingo, edumondo, easy classroom, edutree, blackboard, class flow, udacity, etc. These applications provide collaborative and interactive learning experiences, demystifying face-to-face classroom instruction. 15 On the corollary, there are a number of websites and applications that are not designed specifically for educational purposes but are very profitable and enriching in the area of teaching and learning. This second category of applications, in the context of education, fall within the descriptive rubrics of media-by-utilization. They include: Facebook, WhatsApp, Zoom (webinar), Skype, YouTube, Telegram, SMS, etc. However, few of these applications, especially those by design are discussed, with emphasis on how learners can derive maximum benefit or be linked up. Kahoot Kahoot is an online tool or application for teaching and learning. It was developed by the trio- John Branne, James Brooker and Morten Versvik, to make learning more pleasurable, appetizing and fun. Its use makes it easy for one to create and share learning games, administer quizzes and embark on educative discussions among learning groups in real-time. Kahoot is a free game-based learning platform that promotes the learning of any subject in real- time. In Kahooting, multiple choice questions or quizzes are developed, embellished with games, and projected on the screen and students respond to these questions through their smartphones, tablets or computers. Kahoot can be played live in group settings or individually using one’s IOS or Android Apps in the classroom, offices or homes. It should be emphasized that whereas the quizzes or questions are projected on a shared screen within the group, the answers are provided on one’s personal devices. It takes few minutes to create a Kahoot platform and add YouTube videos, snapshots and photos or drawings to questions to make the learning more entertaining. To participate in Kahoot game- based learning, an Android/Smartphone, a tablet or computer is required. To form the Kahoot, open the web browser on any of the devices mentioned above. Then go to Kahoot 16 (https://kahoot), click on the “sign up for free button” on the homepage. Tap on “Enter Pin” and then enter a game pin. Advantages of Kahooting 1. It promotes high retention of information. 2. It makes teaching and learning very interactive, pleasurable and entertaining. 3. Kahooting makes learning very immediate and in real-time. Disadvantages of Kahooting 1. It requires a great deal of digital literacy. 2. It is expensive since it involves buying data, smartphones, tablets or computer. 3. It requires constant electricity or power to keep the system afloat. Edublog Edublog is a contraction of educational blog. It is one of the most powerful educational blogging platforms which host well over two million educational blogs and websites. It is a free website that enables the teacher share class content, communicate with students and parents as well as showcase students‟ work. Thus, edublog enables teachers and students actualize learning through collaboration, self-questioning and promotion of high-order thinking. It could be seen as a learning diary that offers a wide range of instructional potentials in terms of learning content and process. How? Teachers publish blog posts which are shared with the class or the public. Edublog promotes education through reflective practice and offers opportunity for the expansion of the frontiers of knowledge. Teachers can use edublog to publish assignments, resources, keep students and parents up-to-date in class events, due dates and content being covered. It helps students master subject content as well as improve their writing skills (www.collegeprofessor.com). 17 Advantages of Edublog Edublog offers many educational benefits: 1. It promotes autonomous learning as it provides opportunity for students to take full control of their learning experiences and processes. 2. It encourages teachers and students to use the internet and the web. 3. Edublog motivates to become better readers and writers. 4. It promotes meaningful discussion and collaboration among students (https://en.wikipedia.org). How to create an Edublog: 1. Go to the dashboard > My site 2. Click on add new 3. Open to set up a new blog from “Enter your blog title, blog URL. 4. Choose your blog type and select “I agree to service terms” and “I am not a robot”. 5. Then click create blog. Joining a class on Edublog 1. Login into your blog dashboard. 2. Go to My Class > Join the class. 3. Search for your Class Blog. 4. Click “send” a request to join. In making a post on Edublog 1. Go to post –add new. 2. Give your post a title and add your content. Learn how to use your visual editor here. 3. Add your tags and categories. 18  4. After writing, click “Publish” or “Submit” for Review. Google Classroom The Google classroom is another novel approach to (distance) learning en route technology. It is an online webservice developed in 2014 by Google for schools to enhance flexible learning. Google Classroom allows teachers to create digital classrooms. In this classrooms, teachers create and store assignments, communicate with class seamlessly as well as elicit efficient feedback. The Google Classroom enables teachers create, distribute and grade assignments of students. They also post announcements, a schedule of upcoming academic events and also send emails to students and parents in real time. Google Classrooms integrate documents, sheets, slides, email and calendar into the platform for the effective management of communication between the teacher and students. In the administration of assignments, each class has a separate folder in the respective user’s drive. Assignments are submitted in due dates. Above all, teachers, through this platform, monitor students‟ academic progress by reviewing the history of documents. After grading students, assignments are returned to students alongside their grades and possible comments. On the part of the students, the Google Classroom enables them chat with peers (Phan, 2015). All assignments completed by students are either posted on the teacher’s board or class board. How students can join a Google Classroom platform. The steps involved in joining a Google Classroom include: 1. Go to the classroom.google.com and click sign in through your Google account; 2. Sign in with the correct account; 3. At the top click Join class; 4. Enter the class code from your teachers and click join. 19 Unarguably, Google Classroom makes learning unhindered, easier, faster, interactive and exciting to both the teacher and the students because of its collaborative features. Ulesson The Ulesson platform was developed and launched in March, 2020 by SimShagaya in response to challenges in the global educational system. One of such challenges is the Corona Virus pandemic which brought about the total or partial lockdown in formal education system as the result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The platform was created to provide affordable, high quality and accessible education en route technology. It is a learning website for senior and junior secondary school students meant to empower them to obtain academic excellence and also prepare them for the future (ulessson.com>for-schools). Ulesson provides well over 10,000 questions and quizzes based on the syllabi of both senior and junior secondary schools with corresponding detailed solutions or answers. The contents cover subjects like English language, Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics, Biology (for Senior Secondary School), and English, Mathematics, Basic Sciences, Business Technology and Business Studies (for the Junior section). Admittedly, the learning platform is designed to provide best-in-class lesson delivered by expert tutors to ensure that learners get best learning experiences. The learning experiences are unprecedented in richness, scope, interactivity and effectiveness leveraging on technology. Ulesson has revolutionized how students‟ learn and study for examination. Interactive video lessons, quizzes and tests with solutions already provided to test their level of comprehension of the topic covered. Ulesson stands out uniquely as one of the best websites for instant learning on grounds that: 1. Its content/lessons are rich and highly-educative. 20  2. It promotes personalized/individualized learning. 3. Students have greater understanding of the most difficult topics or concepts. 4. The contents cover the core areas of the syllabus – English, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Biology (for senior secondary), and English, Mathematics, Basic Sciences, Basic Technology, and Business Studies (for Junior Secondary School Students). 5. The contents of the subjects are culturally relevant and in tandem with the syllabi of the participating countries. 6. The website leverages on best class teachers, media technology solution to create high academic achievement among learners. It affords learners access to limitless animated video lessons explaining all topics in the curriculum and learners learn at their own pace and convenience. How to join Ulesson Download Ulesson App for free on Google Playstore and sign up as a free user. You will get access to unlimited number of prerecorded and live video lessons, explaining all topics and providing instant solutions to questions asked in real time. Udemy Udemy was created on the 11th of May, 2010 by Eren Bali, GaganBiyani and OktayCaglar, with headquarters in San Francisco, California, to provide a software for live virtual classroom. 21 Udemy is a massive free and open online website for teaching and learning with well over 155,000 mind-blowing courses or contents and about 40 million students. Udemy is a free online platform that provides the world‟s largest destination for a variety of online courses more than any other platform. These courses are centered mostly around career and professional skills development such as IT/Software development, dog training, applying make-ups, video-editing, etc. (www.websiteplanet.com>blog>udemy). These courses are free and are updated constantly. The instructors are drawn from among the best in the entire world. The courses are designed for professional adults and students across the globe. Besides academic programmes, students also learn a variety of skills with which to function effectively in the workplace and also earn a better living. The courses are rich in content and can be applied in everyday living. How to Create a Course in Udemy 1. Navigate to the teach section. To begin the course creation process click “teach” at the top right hand of the page and you will be prompted to enter the course title. 2. Plan your course 3. Produce your course 4. Polish your course 5. Publish your course (support.udemy.com.en.us>articles). How to join Course To join the platform as a student, the following steps must be followed: 1. Click log in at the top right. 2. Enter the credentials you used to sign up. 3. Click log in. 22 The greatest advantage of Udemy is that it provides a flexible opportunity to navigate through a variety of courses in real time which enables learners eke out a living. Duolingo Duolingo is a veritable website originally designed for teaching and learning languages online. It is an American-based languagelearning website, mobile app and a digital language proficiency assessment examination, founded by Luis Von Ahn and Severin Hacker(https://www.nytimes.com). Duolingo offers 106 different language courses in 38 languages as at March, 2021, such as Spanish, French, German, Italian, English, Japanese, Chinese, Russian, Korean, Portuguese, Arabic, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Turkish, Polish, Irish, Greek Hebrew, Danish, Hind, Czech, Esperanto, Ukrarian, Welshe, Vietnamese, Hungarian, Swahili, Romanian, Indonesia, High Hawalian, Navajo, Khington, Valyrian, Latin, Gaelic, Finnish, Yiddish. Besides language proficiency training, Duolingo provides English admission requirements similar to TOEFL and IELTS for candidates seeking admission into American and Canadian Universities. The English Proficiency test is taken on demand. In Duolingo, learners practice the skills of speaking, listening and reading. They also learn other topics for real-world conversation, and participants are motivated daily to keep learning. The success of Duolingo training exercise require participants to watch English movies speaking with friends, reading newspapers and magazines. For one to become fluent in any language, the learners would have to listen to or interact with the native speakers of the language. How to join the Doulingo Class To sign up for Duolingo Classroom, the following steps must be followed: 1. Sign into Duolingo on the Duolingo website. 23  2. Go to the setting page for your account. 3. Go to the progress sharing tap. 4. Type the classroom code into the provided box. 5. Click form classroom (www.reddit.com>comments>how) Writing Duolingo Test For those writing the Duolingo test, especially for admissions, the following procedures should be followed: 1. Get a valid means of identification (which is approved by government). 2. One should live in a quiet and well-lit room. 3. One must have an hour of uninterrupted time. 4. Have a computer-equipped with a front facing camera for identification/authentication). 5. Have an internet connection and a compatible browser (www.nes.org). In summary, Duolingo provides excellent language learning opportunities devoid of face-to-face interaction, but based on online connectivity. Therefore, this can help to promote individualized or distance learning anytime anywhere. MERITS AND DEMERITS OF DISTANCE LEARNING Merits of Distance Learning The merits of distance learning are as follows: 1. Distance learning frees learners of the rigidity of institutional calendars, timetable and attendance required for participation in examinations in formal schooling. 2. It reduces the burden of students traveling far and near to acquire education. Most distance learners receive distance education right in their living rooms or within their vicinity. 24  3. Distance learning frees learners from the fear of criticism or unnecessary competition among their colleagues. Everyone learns freely. 4. Even though distance education requires a high initial financial involvement, it is most cost-effective in the long run. 5. In distance learning, learners enjoy a status symbol and respect compared to formal education where learners are treated as unequals and intellectually inferior. 6. It promotes interactivity and collaboration in real time. Demerits of Distance Learning In spite of the obvious advantages of distance learning, the programmeme is fraught with some impediments. 1. Poor sustainability of students‟ interests: Distance learning students are not properly motivated, and their interests not sustained. This lack of encouragement manifests in the rate of drop out. 2. Lack of creativity: Coursewares are designed by experts from one module to another, and one frame of reference to another which must be followed rigidly by learners. Their assessment is also based on their manuals or modules. This situation makes students totally-dependent on these coursewares thereby limiting their creativity. 3. Poor interpersonal communication: To a large extent, the programme is non-face-to-face; hence, there is a high level of poor interpersonal relationship and cooperation among students. 4. Distance learners are limited in terms of teaching methodology: They only get their materials and read to understand the materials the way they understand them without a teacher‟s input. 25 5. Logistic problem: These include poor network, delay in delivery of course materials, poor power supply to enable them utilize their gadgets and equipment. 6. Poor storage facilities and warehouses for course/text books, modules, computers, etc). 7. Poor reception of radio, and television signals and programmes have a debilitating effect on the effective transmission of educational programmes to distance learners. 8. Illiteracy question: High illiteracy rate in the country makes it difficult to effectively disseminate distance education to a larger shrunk of the citizenry. 9. Lack of political will: This revolves around governments‟ inability to allocate resources to education the sub-sector for effective implementation of most educational programmes, including distance education. 10. Digital illiteracy: The programme is initially expensive in terms of procurement of some technologies, and the issue of Android or smartphones, and data to enable one use more of these websites and Apps. 26