Distance Education as a Challenging Concept in Sociology

The contemporary period is often characterised by unpredictable changes realised in all dimensions of sphere of human social life. Besides individuals, also societies with its all-institutional structures are compelled to change in order to survive within the process of globalisation and post-modern trends. Thus globalisation and post-modernism as the key terms that underlie the dynamics of societal change and technology another of the accelerative force of change agent have defined the process of change as a whole. Education as also societal institution has been in this process of change. Strategies which aim to cope with accelerative change have became much important not only important for individuals but also institutions. Common demands of both institutions and individuals to meet the needs of change necessitate the search of new educational environment that solves the problem in access, equity, excellence and funding. And distance education with the means of new information and communicative educational technology has emerged as a leading strategy for meeting needs of change drived by concept of globalisation and postmodernism. In this article, it is critically aimed to examine sociological meaning of distance education as a challenging advantageous of new information and educational technology within the framework of societal implications of three main traditions- Postmodern, Marxian, Functionalist.