Ethic dimension and social consequences of distance education applications

Although it has a history of approximately 30 years and its application areas increase each passing day, social and ethical dimensions of distance education are still being argued. Over time, it is understood that social side of the applications of distance education which was attempted with great expectations and visions at the beginning are very open to improvement. With the new technologies, distance education is considered in social reality as a very important factor that influences the structure of society in recent years. In addition, the concept of education ethics has gained a different meaning through the spread of internet and distance education. The increase in internet crimes is also a potential threat to distance education. Lack of communication and perception of social gap between individuals who receive education and educators who meet in different environment and geographies constitutes a dilemma along with the advantages of technical side of this application. The study is based on the ground of emphasizing on ethical dimension and social results of distance education applications rather than their technical aspect. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.