ABSTRACT
Rumble (2001) identified a variety of changes in the concept and application of distance education from 1971 to 2001. Relevant among these are a shift from a transmission model of education toward a more constructivist model, facilitated by computer-mediated
communication, and a related shift from a bureaucratic, assembly-line approach toward a greater focus on the student, flexibility, and global reach. Note the paradoxical shift to more communicative and interactive learning associated with the use of technology, often critiqued as a depersonalizing factor.
