Can you learn Excel by distance education? – A qualitative investigation of possibilities and limitations of distance education

ERIK WETTER

Abstract

The market for distance education has grown remarkably during the last decades with more education being distance-based and, consequently, taking place on the web. The actual interaction experience when solely interacting through computers, however, is quite different in comparison to the classic setting of an actual physical classroom that, among other things, includes a more profound social exchange between teachers and classmates – aspects more or less absent on the web. It is therefore legitimate to inquire what different criteria that must be taken into consideration when designing a computer-based learning environment in order to provide, maintain, and preserve a learning environment characterized by the highest quality.

In this thesis, a group of KTH-students have been examined on whether they are able to learn the basics of the software program Microsoft Excel – following a commercially available online course, containing video tutorials, pdf-documents, and the possibility to virtually pose questions to the teacher beyond the course material – in order to attempt to answer the question whether distance education might represent a feasible alternative to traditional education.

The findings suggest that distance education might indeed represent a plausible complementary alternative to traditional education, at least in respect to the teaching of Microsoft Excel. Nevertheless, the pedagogical challenges are substantial and, moreover, the lack of a physical social interaction is likely to form a considerable obstacle. Therefore, one plausible consequence is that distance education will not completely replace traditional education per se but rather function as one set of learning tools amongst many. If so, the newly emerged tools that computers and the World Wide Web pose might very well revolutionize how teaching and learning are being conducted – for the benefit of all.