Correspondence
In the world of distance learning the instructional media labeled 'correspondence' refers to any material given to students that is in a printed format. Correspondence is most effective when used in an asynchronous learning environment, or in other words, an environment in which back-and-forth communication is not necessary.
Correspondence is still the most commonly used medium in distance learning simply because students can read the materials they are given at any time and because the materials can be read anywhere. There is no need to turn on a computer, access special software, dial a phone number or hook up to the internet.
Oftentimes correspondence will be combined with another type of learning media such as video tape, audio tape, DVD, CD-ROM because doing so is usually effective at enhancing the printed material.
Correspondence involves quite a bit of preparation. Someone has to assemble a document and then that document must be sent out to all class participants. The person preparing the correspondence is responsible for conducting the research and then assembling the research into a document, chart or image.
Once the material is finalized, it must also be duplicated as necessary, packaged and then prepared for delivery. When it's all ready, the package is sent to the student who then uses the assembled information as instructional media.
Probably the biggest advantage of correspondence is that it enables students who do not have access to computers and networks to participate in a learning environment. Another advantage of correspondence is that it can be used to supplement another type of learning media.
And finally, there are no time or location constraints involved with correspondence. Students are able to review the printed materials over and over again, at their convenience, as often as is necessary.
Of course, the limitations are that once correspondence is produced, it is not possible to update the information without repeating the entire preparation, packaging and delivery cycle. In addition to the difficulty involved in updating printed information, the time and materials that are needed to fulfill all of the above steps can sometimes add up to a considerable amount.
Correspondence is considered an asynchronous medium and as such it will limit the amount of learning strategies that instructors can implement.
Correspondence is an effective learning method to implement when the material being presented is not likely to change. A good example of this is a case study. Since the event already took place, there is virtually no chance that the details of the case will in any way change. The case itself might move forward, which would require that the materials be updated, however, that is a different scenario.
Correspondence is also effective when used for narration or when describing a topic. It's also very effective when students need to practice something they have learned over and over again like a math problem or the words to a famous speech.