2018, 7(1): 1423

DOI: 10.2478/ijicte-2018-0002

PROBLEMS OF DISTANCE EDUCATION

Rostislav Fojtík1

1Department Informatics and Computers, Faculty of Science, University of Ostrava, Czech

Republic {[email protected]}

ABSTRACT
Distance learning and e-learning have significantly developed in recent years. It is also due to changing educational
requirements, especially for adults. The article aims to show the advantages and disadvantages of distance learning.
Examples of the 20-year use of the distance learning form of computer science describe the difficulties associated
with the implementation and implementation of this form of teaching. The results of students in the full-time and
distance form of teaching in the bachelor's study of computer science are compared. Long-term findings show that
distant students have significantly lower scores in the first years of study than full-time bachelor students. In the
following years of study, the differences diminish, and students' results are comparable. The article describes the
possibilities of improving the quality of distance learning.

KEYWORDS
Distance learning, education, e-learning, Learning Management System, t-test.

1 INTRODUCTION
In recent years, the need for distance and combined forms of education has grown increasingly. It is mainly
due to increased demands for tertiary education and the need for frequent changes in vocational education.
Traditional full-time teaching can often not be used in employee training. The problem of distance learning
is that most participants have no practical experience with this form of teaching. This leads to worse results
for distance students. Students need not only to prepare quality teaching materials but also to adapt their
teaching methods (Van de Vord 2010) (Klímová 2015). It turns that distance learning is difficult for the
students. The most important problem lies in abilities of students to manage their studies. Part of students
is unable to plan a well-proportioned schedule for learning. They often start to learn at the end of the
semester before course exam. They are requested to finish successfully courses and that why they don’t
have enough time to complete all course requirements, and often they fail in the whole study (McPhee
2012). The first semester of a study is the most problematic period of studies. There are many such students
that interrupt their studies on this period. One of the reasons is wrong information and incorrect idea about
the distance learning (Levy 2007) (Shachar, Neumann 2003).
2 DISTANCE LEARNING AT THE DEPARTMENT OF INFORMATICS AND COMPUTERS
The Department of Informatics and Computers at the University of Ostrava started to deal with the
realisation of the distance learning form using information and communication technologies for the first
time in 1998. This was a distance study of the Bachelor's degree in Applied Informatics, preferably for
hearing impaired students. The demand for such a form of the study came from the secondary school for
the hearing impaired. Ten students enrolled in the study. These were students from all over the Czech

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Republic. To ensure the unique requirements of the deaf students, the services of sign language interpreters
were used, which took part in all the tutorials. The high demandingness of the study, the specific form of
study and, above all, the inadequate preparation of secondary school students caused only two students to
complete the study.
Interest in distance learning also increased among students without health disabilities. After the bachelor
study program Applied Informatics, the distant form of teaching was added in the Bachelor's degree
program Informatics as well as in the follow-up master program of Informatics.
Each course has learning materials in the LMS Moodle, to which both distance and full-time students have
access. In addition to LMS, two to five tutorials are available for each course in the semester. They aim to
consult on unclear and more complex topics.
Within 20 years, different technologies and methodologies have been tested to improve the distance and
combined forms of teaching. When introducing distance learning, there was a need for teachers to undertake
distance learning courses. None of the teachers had experience with this form of teaching. In the early years,
Lotus LearningSpace was used to install Lotus Notes Client to create and manage courses. The system was
later replaced by the IBM Workplace Collaborative Learning commercial product. However, this system
was designed for the corporate sphere. IBM Lotus Workplace Collaborative Learning Authoring Tool was
delivered to this LMS. The application was unnecessarily complicated for most teachers and did not allow
some functionality, such as randomly generating test questions and answers. That is why the system was
replaced by Tutor 2000 and ToolBook Instructor, which better responded to didactic requirements. Its
disadvantage was that the courses created were not common websites and required the presence of certain
plugins. Therefore, all of these systems have been replaced by LMS Moodle, which has proved to be the
most appropriate system for teaching at the university.
To improve the quality of teaching, the study materials were gradually developed. In addition to teaching
texts and presentations, video recordings of lectures and seminars and other multimedia teaching materials
were gradually created. MediaSite was used to record video lectures in which the video captured by the
teacher synchronised with the slides of the presentation. Distant students appreciate the opportunity to play
video from lectures, seminars or tutorials. Video helps them better understand learning themes.
Experience with distance course management shows that it is essential to motivate students to work actively
on a continuous basis. Students who work continuously during the semester usually have better results.
Continuous activity can be assured, for example, by assisting with regular tasks that students have to
develop, for example, once every 2-3 weeks. A more extended period between correspondence tasks proved
to be inappropriate. Students were only studying at a glance, and many of them have dropped out of their
studies early. Because they left their assignments for the credit week, they found that they were not able to
handle everything. A significant role is played by distance learning in communication. Due to the minimal
presence of face to face communication, it is necessary to support and develop other communication tools.
It was very advantageous to evaluate the activity in the electronic conference of the course. Students asked
and helped each other with ambiguity. Online communication tools have been used less, due to the different
time capabilities of course participants (Okaz 2015). Experience has shown that attendance tutorials are
also important for distance learning. It is essential, however, to explain to students that tutorials do not take
the form of a lecture but a consultation. Students who attended regular tutorials usually had better results.

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3 ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF DISTANCE LEARNING

Distance learning requires students and teachers to have a completely different approach than regular
daytime lessons. As demonstrated by practical experience, this is a very demanding form of education.
Fundamental issues and difficulties include:
 Students and many teachers have little or no experience with this form of teaching,
 teachers feel they can use the same pedagogical and didactic practices as in full-time teaching,
 teaching requires students to be highly motivated and able to deal with time efficiently,
 complex and demanding preparation of teaching and study materials,
 the need for thorough technical security.
As opposed to full-time teaching, it is necessary to provide an extensive preparation for the distance and
combined forms. Students must already have all study materials, assignment of correspondence tasks,
technically prepared control systems, means of communication, and so on. However, this requires a lot of
work both technically and methodically and didactically.
We surveyed among students of distance learning forms. As the reason for choosing distance learning,
students are most likely to study at work. Other causes include efforts to expand qualifications, increase
chances in the labour market, increase awareness of information and communication technologies (Hannay,
Newvine 2006).
The most common advantages of distance learning are given by students:
 Opportunity to study at work,
 the possibility to study in time, which the student determines himself,
 the possibility to individually plan the work and study mode,
 not to attend school daily,
 the ability to process and forward tasks over the Internet.
On the contrary, as the fundamental disadvantages and practical problems of distance learning, students
stated:
 Limited personal contact with the teacher and other students,
 missing classical lectures and seminars,
 occasional lousy communication with some tutors,
 self-study occasionally escape information, which the student would have recorded during his / her
attendance,
 the difficulty of organising the time correctly,
 more considerable difficulty in understanding some terms,
 to retain motivation for the study.

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Many students thought that distance learning would be more comfortable and less demanding for students.
That was not true, of course. Graduates of the full-time and distance forms of studies must have the same
knowledge and skills. Nearly no student had any practical experience with distance learning.
As can be seen from the monitoring of distance learning, the educational institutions influence the quality
of distance learning by two primary factors. The first is the level of distance learning curricula and online
courses. The other is the way and the quality of the teaching process management. Another factor
influencing students' success is their motivation and discipline. The distance and combined form of teaching
place much more emphasis on these factors than in daytime lessons where students are under the direct
supervision of the teacher.
A significant problem of distance and combined forms of teaching is the ability of students to devote
themselves to their study affairs. A certain number of students are not able to correctly plan their studies
during the semester. It is often the case that the lessons are devoted to just before the exam period. Since
they have more than one course of instruction, they do not have enough time to complete all the tasks and
often end their studies. Therefore, the role of the tutor, which has the task of activating students and
encouraging them to work continuously, is significant.
In each learning process, the role of the teacher is significant. It not only mediates new knowledge and
skills but mainly leads and guides the learning process. Helping students with problems, evaluating them,
and communicating. However, in the distant form of teaching, these roles need to be significantly reduced,
especially as regards the methods and forms of the teacher's work.
The role of the teacher - the tutor moves from the grantee of the new knowledge mainly to the control
element of the learning process. Much more tutor needs to be involved in managing communication,
assessing students' work, supporting their motivation, and guiding the learning process rather than
explaining the new curriculum. Many educators who begin with this form of learning do not realise these
experiences and try to apply their experience from the day-to-day lessons to the distance education. From
the knowledge gained in our department, we have come to the fact that it is appropriate for the teacher
himself to test the role of the student in a practical e-learning course.
4 COMPARING THE SUCCESS OF DISTANCE AND FULL-TIME STUDENTS
Already from the beginning of the implementation of distance learning, it has been shown that distance
students have more difficulty in completing individual courses. By improving the quality of teaching
materials and learning itself, the success of distance students has improved but is still lower than that of
full-time students. It is especially noticeable at the beginning of the Bachelor's degree program.
We compared the results of students in courses. We used statistical methods. For comparison, the results of
the two groups (distance and full-time students), we used the T-test: Two-Sample Assuming Equal
Variances. Two sample t-test is used to compare the difference between two populations. This parametric
test assumes that the variances are the same in both groups. This assumption we tested by the F-Test Two-
Sample for Variances. For analysis of the results in each item was measured as having detected data
variability. We used a coefficient of variation. To interpret the results of the second stage classification was
done the t-test. For evaluating the results were used MS Excel and statistical software Wizard for the
operating system Mac OS X and statistical software Statistics Visualizer for iPad (Řehák, Brom, 2015)
(Chráska 2007) (Švaříček, Šeďová 2007).
We have set up the hypothesis that describes study results in courses:

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H1 - Distant students have worse study results than full-time students.

The results
The following part of the paper describes the comparison of results of full-time students and distance
students. Distance learning puts students at much higher demands than studying full-time. This is reflected
in the results of the students. We can observe the differences between the group of distance learners and a
group of full-time students. The difference is mainly in the first semester. The success rate of full-time
students is 64% in the first semester. The success of distance learners is only 39% in the first semester
(Figure 1).

Figure 1 The success rate of students in the first year

We've compared the results in courses: Basics of programming (typically first semester), Architecture
of hardware and Fundamentals of operating systems (typically first semester), Programming in C/C++
(typically third semester) and Object-Oriented Programming (typically third semester). Each student can
receive a maximum of 100 points. For the success of the course, he must gain at least 51 points.
The following chart (Figure 2) shows a comparison of the success of distance students and full-time students
in course Computer architecture and Fundamentals of operating systems. Students usually study this course
in the first semester. Results show differences in the past eight academic years. The graph shows that the
results of distance learners are worse than those full-time students.

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Figure 2 The average of successful students in course Computer architecture and Fundamentals of operating systems
(typically first semester)
For courses Architecture of hardware and Fundamentals of operating systems, Programming in C/C++ and
Object-Oriented Programming F-test confirmed compliance variances. Therefore, was further carried t-
Test: Two-Sample Assuming Equal Variances. The results in table number two show that we must reject
the null hypothesis. Distant students had worse results than full-time students.
Table 1 T-Test: Two-Sample Assuming Equal Variances for course Architecture of hardware and Fundamentals of
operating systems
t-Test: Two-Sample Assuming Equal Variances Distance Full-time
students students
Mean
39,05 54,95
Variance
1643,70 1020,12
Observations (number of students)
76 94
P(T<=t) one-tail
0,00239
t Critical one-tail
1,65397
P(T<=t) two-tail
0,00478
t Critical two-tail
1,97419

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Figure 3 Successful students in course Architecture of hardware and Fundamentals of operating systems
We conducted F-test that we ensure that the variances in the two groups are identical. The test showed the
great diversity of variances, so we made t-Test: Two-Sample Assuming Unequal Variances. The course
Basics of programming: we can reject the null hypothesis based on the results in the table. The average
number of full-time students are pointing higher than for distance learners. The results, of course, show that
we reject the null hypothesis. Distant students had worse outcomes than full-time students.
Table 2 T-Test: Two-Sample Assuming Unequal Variances for course Basics of programming
t-Test: Two-Sample Assuming Unequal Variances Distance Full-time
students students
Mean
28,06 54,83
Variance
1366,06 829,06
Observations (number of students)
52 66
P(T<=t) one-tail
0,00002
t Critical one-tail
1,66123
P(T<=t) two-tail
0,00004
t Critical two-tail
1,98552

Figure 4 Successful students in course Basics of programming

Figure 5 shows a comparison of the successful completion of the Basic Programming course in the last
three years. While attendance students successfully scored on average 74%, then distance students only
40%.

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Figure 5 Successful students in course Basics of programming (typically first semester)

Figure 6 shows the percentage of students in course Programming in C/C++. Students typically study in this
course in the third semester. The average of successful students in distance learning is 69% and in the full-
time study is almost 75%. Differences between the two groups are not so pronounced. Distance students
in higher semesters are more successful study and do better organise and manage.

Figure 6 The average of successful students in course Programming in C/C++ (typically third semester)
The results for the course Object-oriented Programming show that it is confirmed null hypothesis. Full-
time students had about the same results as distance students. But in the group of the spacer, it is also part
of students who acquired zero or very few points (Figure 7 and Table 3).

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Figure 7 Successful students in course Object-oriented Programming

Table 3 T-Test: Two-Sample Assuming Equal Variances for course Object-Oriented Programming
t-Test: Two-Sample Assuming Equal Variances Distance Full-time
students students
Mean 45,79 54,93
Variance 1421,21 880,62
Observations (number of students) 28 55
P(T<=t) one-tail 0,12
t Critical one-tail 1,66
P(T<=t) two-tail 0,23
t Critical two-tail 1,99

Previous results demonstrate the integrity of the hypothesis H1. At the beginning of their studies, distance
students have the significantly worse results than full-time students. A large part of distance students not
complete the first year of study successfully.
The survey shows that it is necessary to focus more on distance students in the first year. It is not enough
just to prepare study materials. Multimedia and interactive materials can facilitate self. Experience shows
that it is necessary to motivate students to regular work. We can achieve more frequent correspondent
assignments, tests and projects (Cavanaugh, Gillan 2004).
CONCLUSION
Distance learning is currently being requested. It allows students to study at work or a great distance. This
corresponds to the requirements for frequent change of professional knowledge and skills. Distance learning
in conjunction with information and communication technologies brings new opportunities and benefits.
At the same time, however, this form of teaching brings new problems. The research results show that
distance students have worse outcomes than full-time students. Students, especially in the first years
of distance learning have significantly poorer success rate than full-time students. Many distance students
in the first semester will not come to the exam. It is necessary to improve the quality of studies, offer quality
learning materials and ensure good governance study. To a considerable degree of improvement contributes
use e-conference rate and increase students' activity during the semester. It is advisable to insert solved
examples, video tutorials and video lectures into online courses. The most important problem lies
in abilities of students to manage their studies. Part of students is unable to plan the well-proportioned

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schedule for learning. They often start to learn at the end of the semester before course exam. They are
requested to finish several courses successfully and that why they don’t have enough time to complete all
course requirements, and often they fail in the whole study. Nearly 60% of the distance students do not
complete the first year. Full-time students are more successful than distance students. 66% of full-time
students completing the courses. Differences between the groups are small in subsequent semesters.
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