Kalliopi-evangelia Stavroulia

Distance Education: an Investigation of the Relationship Among the Cognitive, Emotional and Social Development of Open University Students Kalliopi-evangelia Stavroulia

Within only a few years, distance education emerged as a new philosophy for knowledge transmission offering new and flexible learning opportunities that overcome the restrictions of time and space. Over the years, the demand for distance education courses has grown rapidly as people seek for educational courses that will upgrade their skills, while they meet the demands of their busy lifestyles. The purpose of this study was to gain insights into the relationship among the learning outcomes, the emotional experiences of students and the social interaction that takes place in the distance educational programs offered by the Hellenic Open University. The outcomes of this study indicated that the learning outcomes have little or no relation either to the emotions of students or to the social climate. However, the social climate and the emotional experiences of students are closely related.