Adult learners identify busy lives, inflexible course schedules, and the lack of available courses offered nearby as major barriers to getting additional education and training. Many have neither the interest in nor flexibility to follow a tightly orchestrated course sequence over a period of several years. Technological developments in computing and telecommunications provide options for bringing education to the home and work place in ways not imagined only a decade ago. For example, two-way, interactive video now brings together teachers and students in different locations, often separated by long distances. Educators are beginning to understand how modules of traditional, semester-long courses can be packaged for students and used to augment the learning process.
Students can now interact with teachers on the Internet as more people get access to computers.
And with less effort than it takes on-campus students to get books from the library, students in remote locations can use the World Wide Web to tap learning resources from virtually anywhere. Corporate America has increasingly found that many employees are just as productive when they use computers, modems and fax machines to telecommute from home to work. The same possibilities, and perhaps even a stronger motivation, exist for education and training. Many adult learners now need highly specialized instruction on particular subjects. Distance education offers the perfect vehicle for locating and electronically assembling enough students to warrant teaching specialized courses that could not previously be taught.