This publication explores misconceptions associated with distance learning and distance education. Because distance learning is being shaped by new technologies, it is sometimes considered a new form of education. In reality, distance learning has existed for well over 100 years. Although the Internet and the World Wide Web have increased…

The terms "learning communities" and "communities of practice" are being used with increasing frequency to describe the phenomenon of groups (communities) of individuals learning together. Theories focusing on the social nature of cognition and meaning, as opposed to those focusing on individual learning, are stressed. In works…