Definition

 A formal education program is the process of training and developing people in knowledge,

skills, mind, and character in a structured and certified program.

Formal Education

The term formal education refers to the structured and prearranged educational system provided

by the state for children of that country. In most countries, the formal education system is state-

supported and state-operated. In some countries like Pakistan, the state allows and certifies

private systems which provide a comparable even some time much better education.Formal

education corresponds to a systematic, organized education model, structured and administered

according to a given set of laws and norms, presenting a rather rigid curriculum as regards

objectives, content and methodology. It involves the teacher, the students and the institution. It

corresponds to the education process normally adopted by our schools and universities. Formal

education institutions are administratively, physically and curricularly organized and require

from students a minimum classroom attendance. There is a program that teachers and students

alike must observe, involving intermediate and final assessments in order to advance students to

the next learning stage. It confers degrees and diplomas pursuant to a quite strict set of

regulations. The methodology is basically expositive, scarcely relating to the desired behavioral

objectives - as a matter of fact, it is but seldom that such targets are operationally established.

Assessments are made on a general basis, for administrative purposes and are infrequently used

to improve the education process. It is not excessive to say that in the case of formal education,

for the most part teachers pretend to teach; students pretend to learn; and, institutions pretend

to be really catering to the interests of students and of the society. ( Moore, M.G. & Thompson,

1990)

The characteristics of formal education are as follows:

Training

Developing

Structuring

Certifying

Formal education is defined as the education process in which training and developing are

provided to people through knowledge, mind, skills and character in a highly structured way that

is part of a certified program.

In most countries this means formal education is state or privately operated to provide a

structured education system. The education system is based on what the state feels is necessary

for learning. Basically, it means the school system is going to be the same throughout instead of

leaving each school to decide what is going to be in the education system. One can consider it to

be compulsory in which a formal certification is given.

Informal education systems are not compulsory and they do not lead to any formal certification.

They are also non and state approved options. In non-formal education it often takes place

outside of an organized school. Home schooling can be considered a non formal education

process because the curriculum does not have to lead to a diploma. Most parents make sure it

does, but it can also be non or informal education.

The point of formal education is to make certain that those educated are literate, educated for

their future and can continue their education in a higher learning environment to solidify their

education. Most argue for formal education, with only a few out there that do not like conformist

means of education and feel that it is better to have non-formal means of education.

All in all formal education will lead to a balanced approach to education with a sound economic

background for all those being educated. This does not mean improvements do not need to be

made to formal education though.

Informal learning

Informal education is quite diverse from formal education and, particularly, from non-formal

education, although in certain cases it is capable of maintaining a close relationship with both. It

does not correspond to an organized and systematic view of education; informal education does

not necessarily include the objectives and subjects usually encompassed by the traditional

curricula. It is aimed at students as much as at the public at large and imposes no obligations

whatever their nature. There generally being no control over the performed activities, informal

education does not of necessity regard the providing of degrees or diplomas; it merely

supplements both formal and non-formal education.

Informal education for instance comprises the following activities: (a) - visits to museums or to

scientific and other fairs and exhibits, etc.; (b) - listening to radio broadcasting or watching TV

programmes on educational or scientific themes; (c) - reading texts on sciences, education,

technology, etc. in journals and magazines; (d) - participating in scientific contests, etc.; (e)

attending lectures and conferences. There are many instances of situations/activities

encompassed by informal education, from those that may take place in the students’ homes -

such as scientific or didactic games, manipulation of kits, experiments, reading sessions

(biographies, scientific news, etc.) - to institutional activities - lectures in institutions, visiting

museums, etc.

It is easy to see that the higher the degree of systematization and organization involved in

informal education activities, the nearer it will be to non-formal education. This is a relevant fact

inasmuch as it suggests the possibility of transition from informal to non-formal. We must

ponder that, considered by itself, we cannot generally assert whether an educative action belongs

to the formal, to the non-formal or to the informal universe. For instance, a visit to a Science

Museum may be an informal education instance if arising from a personal and spontaneous

decision by a student, as it is not directly related to his scholastic activities. However, if such a

visit is part of an established curriculum, requiring from students a written report and including

assessments by the teacher, or tutor, then it will probably be an activity associated to either the

formal or to the non-formal education.

Informal learning is one of three forms of learning defined by the Organisation Economic Co-

operation and Development (OECD). The other two are formal and non-formal learning.

Informal learning occurs in a variety of places, such as at home, work, and through daily

interactions and shared relationships among members of society. For many learners this includes

language acquisition, cultural norms and manners. Informal learning for young people is an

ongoing process that also occurs in a variety of places, such as out of school time, as well as in

youth programs at community centers and media labs.

In the context of corporate training and education, the term informal learning is widely used to

describe the many forms of learning that takes place independently from instructor-led programs:

books, self-study programs, performance support materials and systems, coaching, communities

of practice, and expert directories.

Characterizations

Informal learning can be characterized as follows:

It usually takes place outside educational establishments;

It does not follow a specified curriculum and is not often professionally organized but rather

originates accidentally, sporadically, in association with certain occasions, from changing

practical requirements;

It is not necessarily planned pedagogically conscious, systematically according to subjects, test

and qualification-oriented, but rather unconsciously incidental, holistically problem-related, and

related to situation management and fitness for life;

It is experienced directly in its "natural" function of everyday life.

It is often spontaneous.

History

In international discussions, the concept of informal learning, already used by John Dewey at an

early stage and later on by Malcolm Knowles, experienced a renaissance, especially in the

context of development policy. At first, informal learning was only delimited from formal school

learning and nonformal learning in courses (Coombs/Achmed 1974). Marsick and Watkins take

up this approach and go one step further in their definition. They, too, begin with the

organizational form of learning and call those learning processes informal which are non-formal

or not formally organized and are not financed by institutions (Watkins/Marsick, p. 12 et sec.).

An example for a wider approach is Livingstone's definition which is oriented towards

autodidactic and self-directed learning and places special emphasis on the self-definition of the

learning process by the learner (Livingstone 1999, p. 68 et seq.).

Informal learning experiences and examples

Informal knowledge is information that has not been externalized or captured and the primary

locus of the knowledge may be inside someone's head. (Grebow, David, "At the Water Cooler of

Learning" in Cross, J., & Quinn, C. "Transforming Culture: An Executive Briefing on the Power

of Learning", Charlottesville: University of Virginia, 2002). For example, in the cause of

language acquisition, a mother may teach a child basic concepts of grammar and language at

home, prior to the child entering a formal education system (Eaton, Sarah (2011). "Family

Literacy and the New Canadian: Formal, Non-Formal and Informal Learning: The Case of

Literacy, Essential Skills and Language Learning in Canada"). In such a case, the mother has a

tacit understanding of language structures, syntax and morphology, but she may not be explicitly

aware of what these are. She understands the language and passes her knowledge on to her

offspring.

Other examples of informal knowledge transfer include instant messaging, a spontaneous

meeting on the Internet, a phone call to someone who has information you need, a live one-time-

only sales meeting introducing a new product, a chat-room in real time, a chance meeting by the

water cooler, a scheduled Web-based meeting with a real-time agenda, a tech walking you

through a repair process, or a meeting with your assigned mentor or manager.

Experience indicates that much of the learning for performance is informal (The Institute for

Research on Learning, 2000, Menlo Park). Those who transfer their knowledge to a learner are

usually present in real time. Such learning can take place over the telephone or through the

Internet, as well as in person.

A study of time-to-performance done by Sally Anne Moore at Digital Equipment Corporation in

the early 1990s, (Moore, Sally-Ann, "Time-to-Learning", Digital Equipment Corporation, 1998)

graphically shows this disparity between formal and informal learning.

In the UK, the government formally recognized the benefits of informal learning in "The

Learning Revolution" White Paper published on March 23, 2009 (Department for Business,

Innovation and Skills, 2009). The Learning Revolution Festival ran in October 2009 and funding

has been used by libraries—which offer a host of informal learning opportunities such as book

groups, "meet the author" events and family history sessions—to run activities such as The North

East Festival of Learning.

NON-FORMAL EDUCATION

As seen, formal education has a well-defined set of features. Whenever one or more of these is

absent, we may safely state that the educational process has acquired non-formal features.

Therefore, if a given education system is not presential most of the time - non-contiguous

communication - we may say that it has non-formal education features. Likewise, non-formal

education characteristics are found when the adopted strategy does not require student

attendance, decreasing the contacts between teacher and student and most activities take place

outside the institution - as for instance, home reading and paperwork. Educative processes

endowed with flexible curricula and methodology, capable of adapting to the needs and interests

of students, for which time is not a pre-established factor but is contingent upon the student’s

work pace, certainly do not correspond to those comprised by formal education, but fit into the

so-called non-formal education. Proportionally to the number of formal education factors that

are absent from a process, we find several grades of non-formal systems.

These preliminary considerations emphasize the need clearly and objectively to establish the

possible basic features of non-formal education. This, however, is not an easy task. As remarked

by Ward and

collaborators2, “A comprehensive and standard definition of non-formal education is not yet

available in common usage. Perhaps such a definition will not emerge until after much more

study of the educational issues and potentialities inherent in the variety of experiences now

called non-formal education has been done.”

As regards the distinction between both educational models, the same authors point out that “the

implied and real distinctions between formal and non-formal education should be seen within a

systematic and holistic view of education.” In the same paper, they remark that education

remains relatively undefined because the non-school view of education has merited little interest

and responsibility from educational planners. Notwithstanding the above, even a preliminary

analysis of the existing non-formal systems reveals the constant presence of two features: (a) -

centralization of the process on the student, as to his previously identified needs and possibilities;

and, (b) - the immediate usefulness of the education for the student’s personal and professional

growth.

Given its scope, non-formal education is comprised of an ample diversity of educational

situations, many of which have played a significant role in the renewal of educational systems.

We shall now analyze three educative processes, namely: “correspondence learning”,

“distance learning” and “open systems”, which, because of their features fall within the scope

of non-formal education.

Correspondence Learning: organized, structured correspondence schools date from more than

one century. Several works

and authors

mention that in 1856, in Berlin, Toussaint and

Langenscheidt founded a correspondence languages graduate studies correspondence course was

introduced. A “Society to Encourage Study at course. In 1886, in England, a Home” was

organized in 1873, in Boston, and the first formal experience took place in 1883, in New York,

the “Correspondence University”. In several countries similar efforts were made, named

“enseignement par correspondence” in France, “fernUntersuch” and “fernStudium” in Germany,

“home study”, “tuition mail” and “postal tuition” in England; “ensino por correspondência” in

Portugal; “ensenãnza por correo” and “ensenãnza por correspondencia” in Spain. Nowadays,

there is a large number of correspondence schools all over the World, encompassing studies that

range from basic education to university studies, including a wide variety of subjects in the

professional area.

Correspondence course participants are found in all age brackets and economic-social classes.

But, which are the main features of correspondence learning? It is a planned and systematized

activity, based on the preparation of printed educational materials which are forwarded to

students who are physically separated from the teachers who can give but a limited assistance to

them. Correspondence learning is an individualized learning system that allows students to

proceed at their own pace, according to their interests. The institutional materials are for the most

part printed and are generally prepared by a teacher who has not enough didactic and technical

knowledge to prepare top quality educational material. Although a number of correspondence

courses currently offer other types of instructional material - audio-tapes and videotapes, kits,

etc. - we shall for classification purposes solely consider the printed materials offered by

correspondence courses. We shall reserve the name “distance learning” to the courses prepared

on a high technical level, by a multidisciplinary team, administered by a relatively large

institution, comprising a wide variety of educational materials. Correspondence courses

generally establish a bi-directional communication by mail, supported by the teacher who

corrects the paperwork, offers guidance and the requested explanations. A degree may or may

not be obtained and there is no pressure - the student’s motivation is the basic factor for the

program’s success. It is not difficult to see that correspondence courses do not incorporate

several features of the formal education and are thus classified in the field of non-formal

education.

INTRODUCTION TO DISTANCE LEARNING

Distance learning traditionally has provided access to instructional programs for students who

are separated by time and/or physical location from an instructor. Distance learning has been

thought of as prepackaged text, audio, and/or video courses taken by an isolated learner with

limited interaction with an instructor or other students. This perspective is changing. Today

information technologies and the Internet can allow rich interactive distance learning experiences

that may surpass the interactivity of a traditional classroom.

Distance learning can be provided in several contexts including stand alone distance learning,

blended learning where the student participates in a regular class and distance learning class

concurrently, and hybrid learning where distance learning supplements classroom instruction.

Definitions

Learning is defined as "the act, process, or experience of gaining knowledge or skill." Learning

is the preferred term rather than education that is generally defined as the knowledge or skill

obtained or developed by the learning process. However educators often use the terms

interchangeably.

Distance learning is conventionally defined as... "any educational or learning process or system

in which the teacher and instructor are separated geographically or in time from his or her

students; or in which students are separated from other students or educational resources.

Contemporary distance learning is effected through the implementation of computer and

electronics technology to connect teacher and student in either real or delayed time or on an as-

needed basis. Content delivery may be achieved through a variety of technologies, including

satellites, computers, cable television, interactive video, electronic transmissions via telephone

lines, and others. Distance learning does not preclude traditional learning processes; frequently it

is used in conjunction with in-person classroom or professional training procedures and

practices. It is also called distributed learning."

The California Distance Learning Project (CDLP) uses the following definition:

"Distance Learning (DL) is an instructional delivery system that connects learners with

educational resources. DL provides educational access to learners not enrolled in educational

institutions and can augment the learning opportunities of current students. The implementation

of DL is a process that uses available resources and will evolve to incorporate emerging

technologies."

This definition was developed in 1997 by a workgroup of adult educators.

Defining Elements

Several key features define distance learning. The importance of the teacher — learner

communications cannot be overstated.

The separation of teacher and learner during at least a majority of each instructional process

Separation of teacher and learner in space and/or time.

The use of educational media to unite teacher and learner and carry course content.

The provision of two-way communication between teacher, tutor, or educational agency and

learner, and

Control of the learning pace by the student rather than the distance instructor.

These definitions apply equally to high tech and low tech approaches to distance learning.

Having the appropriate, enthusiastic, and qualified staff is a make or break requirement.

Two Types of Distance Learning

There are two distance education delivery system categories - synchronous and asynchronous.

Synchronous instruction requires the simultaneous participation of all students and instructors.

The advantage of synchronous instruction is that interaction is done in "real time" and has an

immediacy. Examples include interactive telecourses, teleconferencing and web conferencing,

and Internet chats.

Asynchronous instruction does not require the simultaneous participation of all students and

instructors. Students do not need to be gathered together in the same location at the same time.

Rather, students may choose their own instructional time frame and interact with the learning

materials and instructor according to their schedules. Asynchronous instruction is more flexible

than synchronous instruction but experience shows that time limits are necessary to main focus

and participation. The self-paced format accommodates multiple learning levels and schedules.

Examples of asynchronous delivery include e-mail, listservs, audiocassette courses, videotaped

courses, correspondence courses, and WWW-based courses.

The advantages of asynchronous delivery include student choice of location and time, and

interaction opportunities among the students as well as the instructor. One disadvantage is that

self paced instruction places a substantial burden on the student to maintain interest, focus, and

pace. This motivation can be difficult to sustain.

Three elements are of paramount importance to any successful distance education program:

instructional design

technology

support

Support is often undervalued in design and implementation. Technology implementation studies

show that teacher preparation and ongoing support are undervalued.

Why Distance Learning?

Distance education increases access to learning opportunities. Well organized distance learning

accommodates multiple learning styles. Distance learning serves learners who are not likely to

attend traditional classroom instruction (effectiveness). In some cases it can serve as many or

more learners per dollar spent (efficiency). California research continues to show that it can

attract and serve lower level learners (equity).

Adult life for many is complex and demanding. Many adults are unable to or unwilling to attend

traditional adult education schools and classrooms for many reasons including:

having work and family obligations that make attending a regular class time difficult,

learning more effectively from video, audio, and web–based media when moving at their own

pace.

experiencing the dearth of public transportation systems in many parts of the state,

needing more practice of skills to achieve mastery.

living in locations without convenient access to traditional classes, and/or

lacking the full confidence to participate in a large classroom setting in front of other students.

People who can't attend traditional classes because of these realities need alternatives. These

adults are prime targets for distance learning. They are motivated to continue their education, but

limited by circumstances as to how they participate in adult basic education. Flexible learning

approaches that are not classroom centered appeal to these potential learners.

Types of Distance Learning in Context of Technology

Distance learning is a modality - a broad, mixed category of methods to deliver learning. The

types can be organized along several descriptive dimensions. Low tech to high tech is useful in

the adult basic education field. Remember, however, that these individual types can be mixed

into hybrid forms. The following table outlines the most popular types of distance learning by

their characteristics and notable features.

Type Characteristic Notable Features

Audiotape

Audio learning tool, very mobile

and inexpensive when combined

with print materials.

Useful in language learning and

practice as well as literature.

Linear format.

Videotape in

VHS and DVD

formats

Visual and audio tool; the

checkout approach with print

materials is very popular in

California.

Multi-sensory tool with linear

delivery format.

Laptop

computer

checkout

Versatile approach to providing a

wide range of learning activities

from skill and drill to simulations.

Hardware is expensive and being

replaced by less expensive

Internet delivery.

Mobile van / lab

Resources taken to the learners,

useful for work site learning and

reaching parents at elementary

schools. Van learning.

Historically useful way to

distribute videos, audiotapes,

DVDs, and other learning tools,

but it can be expensive to operate.

It is less and less popular as

distributed learning increases.

Radio course

Low cost way to reach ESL

learners. Ideally it should be used

by more learning providers.

The radio course must include

ways for learners to interact with

the instructor. Phone call in during

or after air time could be

integrated into the programming.

Telecourse Delivery over television, usually a

cable public access channel or

school owned channel.

The telecourse must include ways

for learners to interact with the

instructor. Phone call in is

popular. Print materials

accompany on-air instruction.

Videoconferenc

e – Two way

interactive

video

Electronic communications

among people at separate

locations. Can be audio, audio

graphic, video or computer based.

Often uses proprietary software

and consequently expensive.

Internet models and broadband

communications are making it

more affordable and accessible.

EmailAsynchronous text files and

attachments.

Good tool to stimulate learning,

writing, and communications

skills.

Internet

Instructionally delivery over the

Internet, either learning modules

or entire courses.

Instructional learning systems

permit teachers to create, manage,

communicate with, and test

students online. The interactivity

and ability to hyperlink to

worldwide learning resources are

extremely attractive. Improved

broadband communications are

enabling the effective use of video

and synchronous communications.

Chat and asynchronous

communications facilitate links

between the teacher and learner

and among the learners.

History of Distance Learning

Distance education traces its origins to mid-19th century Europe and the United States. The

pioneers of distance education used the best technology of their day, the postal system, to open

educational opportunities to people who wanted to learn but were not able to attend conventional

schools. People who most benefited from such correspondence education included those with

physical disabilities, women who were not allowed to enroll in educational institutions open only

to men, people who had jobs during normal school hours, and those who lived in remote regions

where schools did not exist.

An Englishman, Isaac Pitman, is credited as an early pioneer. He began teaching shorthand by

correspondence in Bath, England in 1840. Students were instructed to copy short passages of the

Bible and return them for grading via the new penny post system.

American university level distance education began in 1874 at Illinois Wesleyan University

where bachelor and graduate degrees could be obtained in absentia. The Chautauqua movement

in about 1882 gave the popular push to correspondence education.

The teaching of academic and vocational courses by correspondence became quite popular by

1900 and problems of quality and ethical practice came with the popularity. The National Home

Study Council (NHSC) was formed in 1926 in part to address these issues. Accreditation of

college and university distance programs fell to the National University Extension Association in

1915.

The invention of educational radio in the 1920s and the advent of television in the 1940s created

important new forms of communication for use in distance education. Educators used these new

technologies to broadcast educational programs to millions of learners, thus extending learning

opportunities beyond the walls of conventional teaching institutions.

The development of reliable long-distance telephone systems in the early 1900s also increased

the capacity of distance educators to reach new student populations. But telephone systems never

played a prominent role in education until the introduction of new teleconferencing technologies

in the 1980s and 1990s. Teleconferencing systems made it possible for teachers to talk with,

hear, and see their students in real time - that is, with no delays in the transmissions - even if they

were located across the country or around the world.

Distance education increasingly uses combinations of different communications technologies to

enhance the abilities of teachers and students to communicate with each other. With the spread of

computer-network communications in the 1980s and 1990s, large numbers of people gained

access to computers linked to telephone lines, allowing teachers and students to communicate in

conferences via computers.

Distance education also makes use of computer conferencing on the World Wide Web, where

teachers and students present text, pictures, audio, and video. File sharing and communications

tools like email, chats and and audio and video conferencing are integral to the Internet model.

Business and university level learners have used a conferencing method known as one-way

video/two-way audio where television pictures that are transmitted to particular sites, where

people can reply to the broadcasters with a telephone call-in system. Television pictures can also

be transmitted in two directions simultaneously through telephone lines, so that teachers and

students in one place can see and hear teachers and students in other places. This video-

conferencing technology increasingly uses the Internet and Internet2.

A growing number of institutions offer complete college degree programs via the Internet.

California's Virtual University lists a wide range of community college, college, and university

courses offered online. The Western Governor's Association sponsors the Western Governor's

University (WGU). It offers online college degrees and courses from multiple universities.

The innovative Open University, started in 1971 in Britain and has been copied around the

world. The British Open University offers a master’s degree in the field of distance education to

anyone in the world who can access the Internet.

Listings of virtual universities and much more information can be found on the American

Distance Education Consortium (ADEC) and the Distance Education Clearinghouse Web sites.

Others can be found using routine Internet search methods.

The Virtual School

Several states have introduced virtual high schools and virtual schools. A 1991 WestEd study

defines the virtual school as "an educational organization that offers K-12 courses through

Internet or Web-based methods." The statewide Florida Virtual School probably is the most

notable because of its breadth and depth. The Massachusetts nonprofit VHS Inc. creates

collaborative partnerships with schools. Other virtual schools are locally based or created via

charter schools. The University of California Santa Cruz's University of California College Prep

online (UCCP) began as an online program to provide advanced placement courses to small and

middle size high schools. It has expanded to include core academic courses.

Summary

Lifelong learning, as defined by the OECD, includes a combination of formal, non-formal and

informal learning. Of these three, informal learning may be the most difficult to quantify or

prove, but it remains critical to an individual's overall cognitive and social development

throughout the lifespan.

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