Multimedia: Otto Peters (2011): Industrialization Theory and DE (Part 4)

Interviewer: I have one last question, Otto, and thats in your book, Distance Education in Transition, you say
that because distance education is the most highly industrialized form of education, it is sui
generis or unique in
Peters:

Yeah, sui generis

Interviewer: generis or a unique and distinctive form of education in its own right. Could you explain why
you find this to be the case?
Peters:

Yeah. You see, most people have been educated in traditional schools and universities, and this
makes them believe that distance education is traditional education distributed by modern
technical media. They are not aware of the fact that they are working in an entirely different
system. The concept of industrialized education describes this system in a very detailed and
convincing way. Traditional teaching and learning require adequate teaching and learning
attitudes and behaviors. So does distance education. In order to understand the necessary
changes of the attitudes and behaviors of teachers and learners, it may be advantageous to
know this concept. Thinking in this way, it becomes obvious that imitating attitudes and
behaviors of traditional learning in distance education is the wrong way and counterproductive.
And this was number three. No, it was the fourth question.

Interviewer: Next to the last question, yeah.

Peters:

Yeah. But you asked

Interviewer: I asked one other

Peters:

in how far it informs our practice. And this is very interesting, because I believe and maintain
that the concept heightens the awareness that there are two systems of education: face-to-face
and at a distance. Because of the concept of division of labor, many new and specialized jobs
have developed and became necessary. This is sui generis, really. A tutor at a traditional school
and university works in a different way than in distance education. Educational policy gets the
insight that the potential of mass education, which can be a very valuable element of national
welfare and the development of a national educational system, this is something alien to faceto-face education. You should know that there are countries in which open universities deal with
300,000 students, with 500,000, with millions of students, and this is an aspect of mass
education. This is peculiar to distance education.

Interviewer: Thank you, Otto. I appreciate you taking the time. We all appreciate the time for you giving us
this interview this morning. Do you have any final comments that you would like to make
perhaps or?
Peters:

Wait a minute. Are we already?

Interviewer: I think we went through all of the questions.

Peters:

Oh, yeah. No, I could add some items with regard to the question whether it is sui generis.
There is a separation of teacher and student, of course. This is the most important thing. But
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there is another kind of student, students who are usually working for their life in order to earn
money to live. And then third, advanced technology. This means that learning and teaching is
entirely based on this advanced use of technology. Then, as I mentioned, the potential for mass
education and the special meaning and importance and relevance of the concept of the selflearner. As an expert for the academic discipline of teaching and learning, I know that the
general educational drive from the beginning of the last century up to now deals constantly with
the idea that students should be self-learning and should be conscious of themselves and
should learn by themselves. And in a way, this failed because of the dominance of the teacher,
the dominance of the professor, in most forms of education. And I also think of the very peculiar
element of distance education which makes it different is the establishment of study centers and
the tasks which should be performed at study centers. Its entirely different. And then lastly
END

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