The Challenges for Faculty Using Interactive Television in Distance Education

Distance education (DE) is increasingly popular in the United States as a way for professional schools to attempt to respond to workforce needs and improve student access to higher education. Students unable to attend face-to-face classes for reasons such as geographical distance, diversity, and economics, among others, benefit from being able to stay in their communities and obtain an education. Interactive television, or ITV, is a DE technology which is live and takes place in real time, making it especially useful for teaching practice classes. This paper reviews the research on DE and ITV, including their definitions and histories, and discusses the advantages and challenges of using ITV.