Distance education: panacea or barrier for conventional higher education?

Abstract

This paper focuses on the investigation of the character of the two pillars of modern university education   in   Greece:   the   conventional   and   distance   education. The investigation is based on a literature review of the historical and ideological evolution and  seeks  to  provide  a  comparative  consideration,  exploring  the  possibilities  of harmonization  and  complementarily,  with  a  view  to  upgrade  the  quality  of  tertiary education  in  Greece  in  the  21th  century.  The  paper  presents  the  problems  of  higher education in Greece and the answers proposed by the new form of distance education, online education, which catalyzes the spatio temporal constraints and provides a more flexible  and  creative  educational  policy  ambition.  Distance  education  can  override conservatism  and  structural  rigidity  of  modern  universities  and  may  contribute  in improving  the  effectiveness  of  tertiary  education  in  Greece,  especially  in  a  period  characterized by financial and social distress and fast depreciation of knowledge. The paper  also  points  out  the  obstacles  associated  with  the  use  of  e-learning  and  its integration in educational practice, and proposes creative ways of integrating the two
forms of education in tertiary institutions.