Teaching computing at a distance

Distance education enables students who are unable to attend classes on a regular basis for reasons such as work or family commitments, disability or geographical location to complete degrees in their own time and at their own preferred location. Several consideration must be given to distance education: how, by whom and for whom the courses will be developed; what professional support is needed and available to assist with development; the support structures that will be put in place for the students; the equipment and software to which the students must have access; the courses that will benefit from integrating technologies in their preparation and teaching; and costs and benefits of multimedia and interactive distance learning via satellites.