DISTANT LEARNING: PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE 

Rapid developments in technology are dragging all societies towards an information-centered life, and as a natural result, educational programs are organized in this direction. As investments in education increase, education policies are being reshaped from this perspective. In this context, most developed and developing countries have been making many innovations in recent years to improve their education systems. In particular, the natural cyclical relationship between science and technology - where scientific research develops new technologies, while new technologies enable scientific research to be carried out under more suitable conditions - reveals the necessity of raising scientifically thinking and technologically literate individuals.

Undoubtedly, in the 21st century, which we call the information age, the use of multimedia tools, especially computers and the Internet, in many areas of life and even entering homes, necessitates changing learning environments in raising technologically literate individuals. Many research findings in the literature show that the development and use of multimedia-supported teaching activities that can activate students' visual and intellectual structures in terms of achieving meaningful learning increases students' success. At this point, it is important to note that multimedia tools are used in educational environments as they help active learning, interaction and self-learning mentioned in both the learning cycle approach, the four-stage model (4E), 5E and 7E models, which are different application forms of constructivist learning theory, and other learning theories. Its use has become widespread rapidly. Especially developments in computer and Internet technologies have dramatically increased the methods used in the teaching-learning process, and educators have developed new teaching-learning models using multimedia tools. Multimedia, in the broadest sense, is a user interface in a computer-based application supported by the use of visual tools such as normal text, sound, images, graphics, video and animation. Overhead projectors, projectors, videos, etc. have been used in traditional education in recent years. Today, one of the most striking developments in information technology is the WWW (World Wide Web); It is a multimedia network where normal text, graphics, images and sound are transmitted over the internet. WWW can be defined as a learning-teaching environment that is easily accessible, can support flexible storage and display options, can provide an easy, very powerful publishing format, and can include hypermedia elements. The Web, which has the ability to integrate materials received from various media in different formats, allows instructors to prepare an effective and efficient course. Web-based teaching materials are an effective way to learn abstract concepts. 

Distant learning has an important place in education due to the developments in information technologies and especially the inclusion of the Internet in education. Distant learning is seen as a development that will affect the classical education and training approach and change the quality of the educational process. Web pages are developed for education on the Internet and these pages are enriched with text, graphics, sound and animations and made interactive. Students can follow academic publications from digital libraries, discuss their projects by sending e-mails to advisors, and enroll in Web-based courses from their homes. In today's information technology, Web pages bring people closer together; Since it contains links that provide access to audio and video tools, interactive tools (chat, video conference, etc.), communication tools (e-mail, lists and news groups) and many other resources, these facilities can be used without any restrictions while preparing teaching materials. If the teaching materials prepared for the WWW are designed appropriately, active learning environments can be created that will enable individual interaction with the relevant content.

When today's educational experiences are examined; It is known that the number of students enrolled in online courses is increasing, the use of existing software tools and technology in education and training is gaining importance, and schools need integrated educational software that suits their academic standards, curriculum and evaluation tools. While in formal education systems, teaching activities are generally organized according to the general level of the group rather than the different intelligence and learning abilities of the students, thanks to distance education and comprehensive education management systems, teaching activities with course content prepared by taking into account the personal characteristics of each student have begun to be implemented. Distance Learning; Due to its superiority over traditional education in terms of time, physical limitations and cost, it appears as a preferred model in undergraduate and graduate universities, private educational institutions and in-service training of companies. Distance education is considered the most economical among other education systems if there are enough students to cover the investment cost. Distance education aims to provide lifelong learning, to reach a wide range of learners, to create a learning environment with different people, not to be confined to single environments, to reach absentee or disabled students, to educate students with different cultures in areas that master different subjects, to provide educational services to masses that cannot be reached through formal education. It is deemed necessary to ensure equality of opportunity and opportunities in education and to benefit from experts in different places.

By taking advantage of distance education, interesting and interactive animations can be used in lessons by browsing according to subject; Students, individually or in groups, can create their own Web pages explaining the topics or add an additional section to their school's Web page; By creating electronic mail (e-mail) groups, students can discuss their homework and issues that are on their minds among themselves; While students are doing their homework and projects, they can reach their teachers and friends in a very short time and continue their studies without interruption; Depending on the suitability of the course, students and subjects, many students can take the exam online at the same time and their results can be evaluated in a very short time; Students can access databases and electronic libraries and use very important information in all kinds of research; By providing students with high-quality Web addresses that show the applications of the subjects in daily life, students can develop positive attitudes towards the course and research assignments can be given on the Internet.

Distant learning is an effective way to support the learning environment. Distant learning, created by new trends, including computer and communication technologies, seems to be able to meet the needs provided that it provides the necessary dialogue. Distant learning, which has a highly dynamic structure compared to traditional systems, has taken its place in teaching programs in terms of both subject and method. Students can follow the courses at their own time, as often as they want, and regardless of location. A distant learning study environment that includes materials enriched with audio, video, graphics, two-dimensional or three-dimensional animations, and structures designed to receive instant feedback provides a more permanent and enjoyable study environment for the student. At the same time, a distance education environment that is intertwined with the virtual world created by the internet and designed accordingly allows students to easily communicate with others, learn on their own, organize themselves and manage their time. In the virtual environment, students who visit various pages in terms of content, become members of clubs, join e-mail groups, and enter information disseminating units (such as virtual libraries, news services) in different parts of the world when requested, acquire many skills, including the use of tools and equipment. Additionally, incidental learning may occur as a result of students encountering new information during this process.

Distant learning;

1. It is a strong alternative in cases where it is necessary to take a break from formal education in any way,
2. Technological progress rapidly makes existing information obsolete, 
3. The shortage of educated workforce encourages learning, 
4. Tough competition in the business world pushes companies to cut training costs, 
5. Globalization pushes companies to new methods of training their personnel who are geographically dispersed in different regions, 
6. More and more adults are forced to become "students",
7. Learning has ceased to be an activity done from time to time and has become a continuous action,
8. The explosion in the number of Internet users has made the Internet a very convenient tool for transferring information,
9. As the importance of being able to access the necessary information on time and instantly increases, 
10. Personalized learning increases the performance of education,
11. Electronic teaching increases student participation, 
12. Since there is no loss of time for transportation, 
13. Working a job while studying does not cause any problems, 
14. Easily obtaining information when needed, 
15. Since there is no limitation of time and space, 
16. Being able to organize the program according to the student's learning speed,
17. Increased productivity of students with certain personality traits (shy, those with speech difficulties, etc.) and
18. It is becoming mandatory due to the significant decrease in tuition costs.

When the studies on distance education are examined, it is seen that distance education is especially effective for individuals in undergraduate and graduate education who have gained individual learning responsibility. In this context, as in the rest of the world, our universities in our country establish distance education centers and carry out teaching activities synchronously and asynchronously. As of now, there are more than a hundred UZEM (Distance Education Application and Research Centers - e-Learning Centers) in our country. In addition, within the scope of the Digital Transformation Project initiated by YÖK 2 years ago, more than 6 thousand faculty members and more than 50 thousand students in our newly established universities have been trained.

Adaptation to technological developments is often done on a voluntary basis, due to the opportunities it creates and the disruptions it causes. However, sometimes the use of new technologies may become necessary. As a matter of fact, the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic faced by the whole world and our country has brought life to a halt. In this context, distance education appears as an alternative way of education with the concrete opportunities it offers to ensure the flow of life.