Description:
Distance Education is combination of printed material, Radio, Television, Tutorial and Audio Visual Aids. It is a real alternate to formal education system for imparting education and training to the masses at large. The printed word (material) is different from the formal text book. It involves the students into studies by adding some activities in the text. The use of simple language in the printed work makes the student to learn at ease. The provision of self-assessment exercises makes the students to assess the extent they have learnt the lesson. However, there are many reasons for the failure of printed word because of varied cultural, social and educational background. Some students fail to learn as they are used to learn through spoken word. Apart from this, the system of two- way communication can be affected due to the interaction between tutors and taught. The tutor marks the students’ assignment and sent back with his comments. Such process makes the teaching learning process effective. On the whole the distance education makes the learner learn through the medium of the printed word and other technical devices. This paper analyzes the relevance of the printed word in the growing complicities of instructional media.