Distance education from the systemic way of thinking: a necessary perspective for the actors of higher education institutions

Abstract

The evolution of distance education (DE) has met various educational needs, thanks to technological progress, teaching initiatives in higher education and educational research. However, many relationships converge between the capacities, the ways of learning, the participation in the decision making by the actors and the agents involved, the norms and values, among others. This article aims to highlight the complexity of the relationships between the elements of the DE system by means of the systemic way of thinking. This will make it possible to explain why the management of DE in higher education institutions has not always had the expected results and to reflect on decision-making under this framework of reference.