'''Distance education''', also known as '''distance learning''', is the education of students who may not always be physically present at [[school]],<ref name="Kaplan Haenlein 2016">{{cite journal |doi=10.1016/j.bushor.2016.03.008 |title=Higher education and the digital revolution: About MOOCs, SPOCs, social media, and the Cookie Monster |journal=Business Horizons |volume=59 |issue=4 |pages=441–50 |year=2016 |last1=Kaplan |first1=Andreas M. |last2=Haenlein |first2=Michael }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | last=Honeyman |first=M |author2=Miller, G |date=December 1993 | title= Agriculture distance education: A valid alternative for higher education? | journal =Proceedings ofto the 20th Annual National Agricultural Education Research Meeting | pages= 67–73 |url=http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED366794.pdf#page=80 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150430055648/http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED366794.pdf |archive-date=2015-04-30 |url-status=live }}</ref> or where the learner and the teacher are separated in both time and distance.<ref name=":2" /> Traditionally, this usually involved '''correspondence courses''' wherein the student corresponded with the school via [[mail]]. Distance education is a technology-mediated modality and has evolved with the evolution of technologies such as video conferencing, TV, and the Internet.<ref name=":3" /> Today, it usually involves '''online education''' and the learning is usually mediated by some form of technology. A distance learning program can either be completely a remote learning, or a combination of both online learning and traditional offline classroom instruction (called hybrid<ref>{{cite journal |last=Tabor | first = Sharon W |date= Spring 2007 |title= Narrowing the Distance: Implementing a Hybrid Learning Model |journal= Quarterly Review of Distance Education | volume = 8 |issue=1 |pages=48–49 |publisher=IAP |issn=1528-3518 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b46TLTrx0kUC | access-date=23 January 2011| isbn = 9787774570793 }}</ref> or [[Blended learning|blended]]).<ref>{{cite book |last1=Vaughan |first1=Norman D. |editor1-first=MF |editor1-last= Cleveland-Innes |editor2-first= DR | editor2-last =Garrison |title=An Introduction to Distance Education: Understanding Teaching and Learning in a New Era |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AI5as0yooGoC | access-date=23 January 2011 | year=2010 | publisher=Taylor & Francis | isbn=978-0-415-99598-6 | page=165 | chapter=Blended Learning}}</ref> Other modalities include distance learning with complementary virtual environment or teaching in virtual environment (e-learning).<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal |last1=Anderson |first1=Terry |last2=Rivera Vargas |first2=Pablo |date=June 2020 |title=A Critical look at Educational Technology from a Distance Education Perspective |journal=Digital Education Review |issue=37 |pages=208–229 |doi=10.1344/der.2020.37.208-229 |hdl=2445/172738 |s2cid=225664918 |url=http://diposit.ub.edu/dspace/handle/2445/172738 |issn=2013-9144|hdl-access=free }}</ref>
[[Massive open online course]]s (MOOCs), offering large-scale interactive participation and open access through the [[World Wide Web]] or other network technologies, are recent educational modes in distance education.<ref name="Kaplan Haenlein 2016" /> A number of other terms (distributed learning, [[educational technology|e-learning]], [[m-learning]], online learning, virtual classroom, etc.) are used roughly synonymously with distance education. E-learning has shown to be a useful educational tool. E-learning should be an interactive process with multiple learning modes for all learners at various levels of learning. The distance learning environment is an exciting place to learn new things, collaborate with others, and retain self-discipline.<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/distance-learning|title=Simonson, Michael and Berg, Gary A.. "distance learning"|date=2023-02-17|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Britannica|access-date=April 18, 2023}}</ref>
