The philosophical system of open and distant learning: Is technology the custodian ofdistant learning or educational philosophy

Farajollahi, Mehran; Norouzzadeh, Reza; Ebrahimzadeh, Iesa; Haghighi, Fahimeh Sadat

The philosophical system of open and distant learning: Is technology the custodian ofdistant learning or educational philosophy

Authors

Mehran Farajollahi

Reza Norouzzadeh

Iesa Ebrahimzadeh

Fahimeh Sadat Haghighi

Department of Educational Sciences, Payam Noor University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess the philosophical principles of open and distant learning. This descriptive study was done by assessing digital and library resources on the principles of distant learning. In order to understand the philosophical and educational principles of open and distant learning and to determine the epistemological, ontological, and axiological functions of its four main elements (distant learner, distant educational organization, distant educational content, and distant educational inviron ment), collected data were analyzed using analytical and interpretational methods. The results showed that pragmatism and constructivism have specific functions in the four mentioned elements of distant learning with respect to epistemological, ontological, and axiological aspects.

Keywords

Open and Distant Philosophy

Pragmatic Philosophy

Constructivistic-educational Philosophy