178 Yilmaz Ozelçi, S. (2021). Teacher candidates’ experience of distance education: A case of Eregli. International Online Journal of Education and Teaching (IOJET), 8(1). 178-192. Received : 26.10.2020 Revised version received : 03.11.2020 Accepted : 13.11.2020 TEACHER CANDIDATES’ EXPERIENCE OF DISTANCE EDUCATION: A CASE OF EREGLI (Research article) Serap Yilmaz Ozelçi Necmettin Erbakan University syozelci@erbakan.edu.tr She has been an academic at the Faculty of Education of Necmettin Erbakan University in Konya, Turkey since 2005. Fields of study teacher education, thinking education, critical thinking Note: Ethics committee approval was obtained for the study (Necmettin Erbakan University Rectorate Social and Humanities Research and Publication Ethics Committee, decision no 2020/44 dated 02.06.2020). Copyright by Informascope. Material published and so copyrighted may not be published elsewhere without the written permission of IOJET. http://orcid.org/xxxx International Online Journal of Education and Teaching (IOJET) 2020, 8(1), 178-192. 179 PROSPECTIVE TEACHER’S VIEWS OF DISTANCE EDUCATION PRACTICES IN THEIR FACULTY: A CASE OF EREGLI Serap Yilmaz Ozelci syozelci@erbakan.edu.tr Abstract The study aimed to obtain the views of prospective teachers about the distance education practices conducted due to COVID-19 pandemic in their faculty. The study covered the period of 23 March 2020 and 29 May 2020, at Eregli Faculty of Education, in Necmettin Erbakan University, Turkey. The study adopted the document analysis method among the qualitative research patterns. The participants of the study comprised 192 prospective teachers at Eregli Faculty of Education who attended the courses carried out via distance education on the specified dates above. The participants were selected using convenience sampling method and on voluntary basis. The data were collected via an open-ended questionnaire form developed by the researcher. The form was composed of 12 open-ended questions. The data were analysed through content analysis method. In the data analysis process, the written statements of the participants were examined in accordance with the purpose of the research, then they were coded and the themes were created. The results revealed that “watching the course again”, “not spending time to go to school” and “evaluating over homework instead of exam” were the positive aspects; and "hardware and access difficulties", "failure to create a warm classroom environment" and "the utilized program’s not allowing interaction" were the negative aspects of the distance education practices in their context. Keywords: Distance education, pandemic, prospective teachers, document analysis 1. Introduction An epidemic that started at the eastern end of the world in December 2019 has spread worldwide. On the 11th of March 2020, the epidemic was defined as a “pandemic” by the World Health Organization (WHO). Education systems have been the most affected by pandemic along with health and economy. In many countries, face-to-face education was interrupted in schools in order to combat COVID-19 and education services were transformed into distance education. Turkey has also stopped face to face education on all educational levels after the first case; distance education was initiated. This situation, which is experienced both in our country and in the world, has drawn attention to distance education applications and educational technologies. What is distance education, the software and hardware required for implementation have gained importance, the purpose of which is to provide education opportunities to all individuals who cannot already benefit from education services with actual participation. In all higher education institutions, regardless of whether the infrastructure required for this service, decided to start from the existing distance education in educational institutions in Turkey date of March 23, 2020 (CoHE, 2020). At the first stage, open access to the course materials of other universities was provided for universities that do not have the required technological infrastructure. The courses were conducted synchronously or asynchronously and the continuity of education and training services was ensured. The current paper is related to this distance education experience but before, a theorical framework is given for the terms. mailto:syozelci@erbakan.edu.tr Ozelci 180 Although there are many different definitions, distance education; is a planned, institutional and managerial arrangement where students and teachers are located in different places, requiring the application of private course designs and teaching methods and the use of various technologies. (Moore & Kearsley, 2005). As emphasized in the definition, distance education requires some “special” designs and technological infrastructures. In cases where face-to-face education is not provided, it can be seen as an alternative or used as a standalone education application. Specially designed interfaces or programs with internet access are needed for distance education. Existing distance education systems have become available worldwide through common programs; learning platforms such as Coursera, Udemy, Udacity, Edex were bought by many universities, so they agreed with the most influential universities and did several courses around the world. (Yamamoto & Altun, 2020). There are many differences between distance education and face to face education. For example; the content of the courses offered to learners through distance learning programs and the content offered in face-to-face education are different. In distance education, more detailed explanations and examples should be included in order to increase the comprehensibility by considering the possibility of watching the course from the record. (Kaya, 2002; Karataş, 2005). On the other hand, it is not necessary for the teacher and the learner to be physically in the same place in distance education, and concurrency is not compulsory in time. It is freedom for students to be able to watch the course at any time and to avoid the simultaneous participation. With the disappearance of the condition of being together at the school, individuals manage their learning processes themselves. However, this freedom brings requires a responsibility because distance education targets students to continue their learning activities at any time or place. In addition, although there is a teacher orientation in distant education, the student is not dependent on the teacher. So, with this freedom, the students also accepted the responsibility of maintaining certain activities and trying to learn. (Wedemeyer, 1973, cited: Keegan, 1996). Another situation that will affect student acquisition or the quality of education in distance education is the technological infrastructure and accessibility. There are models using one- way or two-way communication in distance education. (Uşun, 2006; Kaya, 2002; İşman, 1998). In both models, the aim is to effectively deliver the content to the learner. However, if the learner does not have the necessary equipment or connection power, or if the existing conditions are insufficient, this will not bring the application to its purpose, and what’s more it will decrease the learner's motivation to learn. Defining users, transferring the content of the courses properly prepared to the web environment, managing the courses, opening student-specific programs in case of need and individualizing learning in this way, preparing homework-exam-project practices and evaluating effective communication environments are the basic steps of distance education (Arat & Bakan, 2011; Karataş, 2005). For the success of distance education, a program where all these steps are successfully implemented and students should be provided with uninterrupted access to this program. At this point, distance education investments of universities and the characteristics of their infrastructure will be decisive. Universities that invest in educational technology and see this as an opportunity will achieve success. Universities that offer their students the opportunity of learning accessible anytime and anywhere with their developing communication technologies will take their place in the education systems of the future (O’Neill, Singh, O’Donoghue, 2004). This will also increase student preference of the institution in higher education, where competition is increasing day by day. International Online Journal of Education and Teaching (IOJET) 2020, 8(1), 178-192. 181 It is predicted that this mandatory digital transformation in education is not temporary and education technologies will continue to be effective. With the decision taken, the courses that can be taught by distance education at universities have been increased to 40%. The statement of CoHE supports this view. However, it is not known whether the quality of distance education provided at all universities in the country is sufficient or at an adequate level. In addition, it has not been determined how students perceive this service and whether they can benefit enough or not. In this context, contrary to the basic assumptions of distance education, it is seen how the application that starts “suddenly” is perceived and evaluated by the participants. Strengths and weaknesses of the application should be revealed by examining the opinions of students about the education and training service offered to them. For this reason, with the current research, it was tried to evaluate the distance education applications conducted in the relevant education faculty according to the views of the students. Referring to the Eregli context, the study seeks an answer to the main research question “What are the prospective teacher’s views of distance education practices in their faculty?”. Based on this main research question, these questions can be stated as follows: 1. What are the prospective teachers’ views about the Process of Transition from Face to Face Education to Distance Education? 2. What are the prospective teachers’ views on the challenges and solutions during the Distance Education practices? 3. What are the prospective teachers’ views about the effect of the process on course participation and course tracking motivation of the students? 4. What are the prospective teachers’ views on the course contents? 5. What are the prospective teachers’ views on the methods and techniques used? 6. What are the prospective teachers’ views on the course interaction (Teacher- Student)? 7. What are the prospective teachers’ views on the measurement and evaluation? 8. What are the prospective teachers’ views on their overall Distance Education process during the pandemic? 2. Method 2.1. Design of the Study The research, which aimed to examine prospective teachers' views on the implementations of “distance education” between the dates of 23 March and 30 May 2020, was designed as a qualitative research. Prospective teachers’ views regarding the distance education practices were examined via a questionnaire form comprising their written statements. The document analysis was utilized. Document analysis is a systematic procedure to evaluate and review written materials. It can be used as a separate technique or as a supplemental research method (Bowen, 2009). Ozelci 182 2.2. Participants The participants of the research consisted of 192 prospective teachers at the Eregli Faculty of Education, Necmettin Erbakan University, Konya, Turkey. The participants were selected via convenience a model and took part in the study voluntarily. The details about the participants are as follows: Table 1: Information on prospective teachers in study group Gender n % Female 109 56,8 Male 83 43,2 department n % computer and teaching technologies 28 17,4 psychological counselling and guidance 62 32,5 Turkish Language teacher 55 28,8 elementary math teacher 46 24,1 use at least one social media tool n % Yes 187 97,9 No 4 2,1 daily use time of social media 20min-10 hours technology vulnerability (1 to 5) Average score X= 3,49 Weekly lesson hour (UZEM) n % 10 hours and under 101 52,7 between 10-15 hours 52 27,4 15 hours and upper 38 20,0 owning a personal computer / tablet n % Yes 141 73,4 No 49 25,5 the way to follow the lesson if does not have a personal computer / tablet n % Smart phone 35 71,4 someone else’s computer 5 10,2 shared computer 5 10,2 do not follow the lessons 4 8,1 Do you have experience in distance education before? n % Yes 46 76,0 No 146 23,9 2.3. Data collection and analysis The research data were collected via an open-ended questionnaire form developed by the researcher. Open-ended questions allow participants to convey their feelings, thoughts and experiences with the words and simulations of their choice (Patton, 2014). The form International Online Journal of Education and Teaching (IOJET) 2020, 8(1), 178-192. 183 contained 12 open-ended questions requiring short answers. The form was pre-administered to 14 prospective teachers to test the comprehensibility of the questions. Some weak questions were revised and repaired. Then the final version of the form was added to the menu of Necmettin Erbakan University Distance Education Center (NEU-UZEM), through which course materials were accessed and the courses were offered. The participants filled in the form through the system. Content analysis was used to analyse data. Written statements of prospective teachers were examined for the purpose of the research, and codes and themes were created. Later, randomly selected forms were analysed by another researcher in order to ensure reliability control. The coefficient of agreement was calculated between analyses of both researchers and the value obtained (81.4% agreement) was determined within the confidence interval specified by Miles and Huberman (1994). The similarities are gathered under codes and themes, and the relations between concepts are tried to be defined (Yıldırım & Şimşek, 2005). In order to ensure validity and reliability in the study, the whole process has been explained in detail as much as possible. Direct quotations from participant views were included (Yıldırım & Şimşek, 2008). Since the findings were not digitized, the coefficient of agreement was not calculated. 3. Findings The findings of the study are given below under different sub-headings reflecting the research questions of the study. 3.1. Views on the Process of Transition from Face-to-Face Education to Distance Education When the findings of the research are examined, it is seen that prospective teachers interpret the process as a “necessity”. Per-service teachers think that they can receive education without suffering from pandemic rather than satisfaction or dissatisfaction. Participants were firstly asked to evaluate how the transition process from face-to-face education to distance education. Prospective teachers generally defined the transition process with difficulty (n = 128), and anxiety caused by being unfamiliar (n = 34). The prospective teachers who had previous experience emphasized that their experience facilitated their adaptation to this process (n = 37). Examples of prospective teachers’ explanations are as follows: PT8: I wasn’t used to; I had difficulty concentrating on courses because I could not actively participate (Male) PT10: I had a lot of difficulty at the beginning. Because I didn't bring my books when I came home. When the lessons started, I had a lot of stress for a certain period of time because I did not have a computer and my internet package was very low. Then my father found a computer from a friend. I changed the operator for the internet package and also experienced problems in this process. My new operator did not open the line for 2 weeks and I was left without a phone and without the internet. After everything was resolved, it was difficult to use the system on the computer. As a result, I was very worn both physically and physically in this process. I had difficulty and strangeness (Female) Ozelci 184 PT39: I did not have any difficulty in this subject since I have received distance education before. The technical side of this is of course. Apart from that, I was a little hesitant to receive distance education from the teachers I saw face-to-face at school. It was not a spiritually easy process (Female). PT69: It was an easy transition, but there is nothing like face-to-face training (Male). Prospective teachers were asked about their views on the positive and negative aspects of the process. 34 prospective teachers stated that they thought there was nothing positive about the process; the other positive and negative aspects of prospective teachers are as follows: Table 2: Opinions about the positive and negative aspects of distance education Positive % f Watching the course record at any time 27,6 53 Being safe / with family 16,6 31 Having more time for yourself 8,3 16 Shortness of lesson time 6,2 12 Evaluation by homework instead of exam 4,6 9 No need to attend school / attend classes 3,1 6 Not having lost any period in pandemic 2,0 4 Negative % f No social interaction 25,0 48 Not being able to focus on lessons without being face-to-face 22,3 43 Technical facilities not sufficient / problems arise 21,3 41 Homework (very challenging) 15,6 30 Pandemic psychology 8,8 17 Lesson duration and hours (shortness of time, disorganization of hours, course conflicts) 8,3 16 Not being able to study at home 6,7 13 Assignments are seen both as positive and negative by prospective teachers. Based on this, prospective teachers were asked whether distance education increased their workloads. While 64.5% (n = 123) of prospective teachers think that the process increases the workload, 15.1% (n = 29) think that this process decreases the workload. 3.2. Views on the Challenges and Solutions During the Distance Education Practices Within the scope of the research, prospective teachers were asked about the difficulties they faced in the process and ways to cope. In general, the problem identified by all participants is internet access and connection quality. In addition, criticisms of the university's preferred distance education program (n =18) were also made. PT28: I had a hard time at first because there was no internet at home. That's why I got the internet home. But there are friends who do not have internet or computers at home. I even have friends whose phone is not suitable for homework International Online Journal of Education and Teaching (IOJET) 2020, 8(1), 178-192. 185 during the distance education process. They shouldn't have forced us so hard in this process (Male). PT15: In the synchronous course, the connection was frequently disconnected. I couldn't listen to the course. The sound was not good quality. It was always choppy. Our teachers were able to upload the necessary documents very slowly. Not everyone could use a microphone. We saw our teachers; they could not see us (Female). PT14: System-related problems occurred in the first weeks. But this has improved over time. When the glitch occurred, I left the system and re-entered. And that's how I continued the lesson (Female). 3.3. Views on the Effect of the Process on Course Participation and Course Tracking Motivations When asked about the effects of distance education on motivation to participate and follow the course, it can be said that the answers of prospective teachers differ according to their learning styles. While the prospective teachers who are thought to have the ability to work internally and individually indicate that their motivation is not affected by the process or their motivation increases because they have more time left; the prospective teachers who are not thought to have these skills are either "comfortable / disturbed environment at home", also stated that their motivation for the course decreased due to the reasons such as “finding boring to follow courses on the screen”. Examples of prospective teachers' statements are as follows: PT18: I prepared a study corner for myself. My computer, books are all with me. There are three students in our house, so, it is a little confused with the house. But we sat down later. I think it is more efficient when viewed with headphones and computers. I have to put more effort into paying attention. This can be exhausting (Female). PT95: My motivation for lessons has dropped a lot because there is a completely different environment at home and it is difficult to devote time to learning. I have different priorities in school and home life. And during this period, my interest in the course decreased. Course hours are not suitable at all. 3.4. Views on the Course Contents After the motivation; prospective teachers were asked about their thoughts on whether distance education affects their course content. This question has been one of the topics where prospective teachers' opinions differ most. While some prospective teachers stated that the content has been narrowed / shortened (n = 118) for reasons such as time shortage or lack of interaction, others think that the content is transferred week by week and there is nothing changing or affected (n = 67). Six prospective teachers stated that they had no idea about this question because they did not follow the courses. Examples of prospective teachers' statements are as follows: Ozelci 186 PT44:No. Because we were learning the same contents before distance education, we could say that there was not a great deal of deviation from our syllabus, we just digitalized on some subjects (Male). PT92:The topics covered in the 40-minute course are insufficient compared to all the topics that need to be covered. The teachers had to teach and go on with the other, because they could not get the feedback very well (Male). PT67:No I don't think it's too much. Because we did all we had to do at school (Male). PT12: Even though the content is the same, most of things are on us since the lesson time is less than normal. Although our teachers try to raise the things to be talked about in the classroom as much as possible, the burden remained to us (Female). 3.5. Views on the Methods and Techniques Utilized The prospective teachers were asked to make a similar assessment for the methods and techniques used in the course. All of the prospective teachers agree that there is no method- technique selection due to the process, and that the teaching strategy and the method of expression emerged as a necessity. The views on the subject are as follows: PT17: Of course. For example, some of our teachers did not use the visual presentations. There was a change in that direction. Some people are having trouble because they don't use it now (Female). PT104: I think that since education is distant, they cannot use it as much as they want even though they have full command of teaching strategies (Male). PT48:This is a negative situation for some of our teachers actively organizing activities and tasks in the course, but I normally do not think there is any effect for courses that do nothing like distance education (Male). PT93:While there is a process where we are more active in face-to-face education because we are less involved in distance education; teachers turned to presentation method (Female). 3.6. Views on the Course Interaction (Teacher-Student) Prospective teachers were also asked to evaluate distance education in terms of teacher- student interaction. It appears as a general idea that their teachers make great efforts to ensure effective communication, but that system-related problems cannot be overcome. In addition, there are prospective teachers who think that effective communication is not provided in the process (n = 19). PT119: Due to the limited time in this process, our communication and interaction with our teachers is also limited (Female). PT118: We can ask our teachers about the things we do not understand at the time of the course, if we watched the course as a record later; we can ask them in International Online Journal of Education and Teaching (IOJET) 2020, 8(1), 178-192. 187 the next time. We get feedback from our teachers. But I'm not sure if it's effective face-to-face (Male). PT105: Question and answer is done in writing, when the microphone is turned on, it does not work or there is no sound. But we can get answers to our questions, of course (Male). PT59: Checking us when necessary, trying to keep us in course and answering the questions asked made the process successfully (Female). 3.7. Views on the Measurement and Evaluation When the views of prospective teachers on measurement and evaluation techniques used in distance education are examined; the responses appear to be in line with their responses in their assessment of the positive and negative aspects of the process. While prospective teachers thought that evaluation with homework and project is an inevitable part of the process, they also said that the content of the homework was not suitable for the process (very difficult / comprehensive / time consuming). Some prospective teachers stated that they preferred the online exam (n = 14). PT50: No matter how much I am against the assignment; it is the most logical for now. Because we have friends who still have trouble accessing the Internet or have no computers in this period, the online exam will suffer (Male). PT106: I think the current measurement tools are wrong because preparing the assignments given to us is difficult for us in this process and cannot measure us adequately. We search the internet where you do not do homework. This provides instant learning. However, if the exam is held, both effortless and full learning can be realized for us (Female). PT60: Students' achievements can be evaluated with an assignment and an online exam. It's a good thing to have homework for exam. But I think more homework was given. It may be appropriate to have the final exam online (Male). PT55: It is nice to assign homework as measurement and evaluation. it sends students to research, but it is difficult to overdo it. In addition, the fact that it is in the form of group assignment is not positive at all, it poses a total distress (Male). PT119:I think that the most suitable applications can be created to save the current situation. I like this way of success more because I like to deal with something. I think that it gives at least a different perspective and is more effective than the exam that is memorized weekly rush and deleted from memories (Female). 3.8. Views on the Overall Distance Education Process during the Pandemic Finally, participants were asked to make a general assessment of the distance education. Prospective teachers evaluated the process based on their experience. Those who complete the process with less distress have relatively positive evaluations, while others have negative reviews. Here are two different points of view: Ozelci 188 PT34: It was wonderful. As a KPSS student, I had a big burden. I think it should be made special for KPSS students. It was very tiring last year. We do our practices face-to-face again, but theoretical courses are good to have (Female). PT47: It was not good for me. I haven't had time to study from work since I came home. Nobody is savvy enough for my lessons. I can't focus enough on the lessons (Male). PT16:A disgrace for those who don't have the means. Of course, there are positive aspects of the system in this regard for some courses. Under normal conditions, there should be courses we will take with distance education. Ultimately, we must use technology to save time or reduce labour. However, students' opportunities should not be ignored (Male). 4. Discussion and Conclusions With this research, prospective teachers' views on distance education during a randomly determined period of the pandemic process was tried to obtain and analyse in accordance with their written statements. Considering the research findings obtained from 192 volunteer prospective teachers; it can be said that the participants see the process as “not being deprived of education”. In this challenging process, it is seen that they consider distance education as a "necessity" in order to continue educational activities. It can be said that this interpretation describes distance education as an educational practise that can be used in extreme situations. But distance education is much more than that. It is known that distance education, which dates back to 1728 in the Boston newspaper, has been running with different contents in many different countries until today (Arat & Bakan, 2011). Distance learning is an educational activity in which electronic and technological communication methods and selected teaching techniques are used together in a desired environment, shaped by corporate- specific policies (Graham & Kearsley, 1996, cited: Özüçelik, 2019). Association for Educational Communication and Technology (AECT, 2020) defines distance education as “the application of facilitating learning and improving performance through the creation, implementation and management of appropriate technological processes and resources”. The concept of facilitating learning, which is emphasized here, is important. Because, according to the research findings, it is seen that the perceptions of prospective teachers are not in this direction in general. However, the basic basis of distance education is to end the dependency on time and space and open the way for individual learning preferences. In addition, these features provided continuity of education and training activities in pandemics. The distance education practice emphasized as a sudden event by the participants contradicts the general characteristics of distance education, because the learning environment in distance education is organized through a Learning Management System (LMS) created using certain software. LMS is a system that operates over a network connection, provides management of the educational environment and consists of certain components for learning and teaching (Nichols, 2003). These systems are not likely to occur instantly. This entire infrastructure requires a planned and programmed preparation process and it can’t be a sudden event. The transition from face-to-face education to distance education has started “spontaneously” in many institutions in our country and around the world. However, in the pandemic process, educational institutions that did not use the distance education applications with their own preferences were also forced to use. This situation has been described as a must by the prospective teachers. This necessity, which emerged with a pandemic, may have International Online Journal of Education and Teaching (IOJET) 2020, 8(1), 178-192. 189 negatively affected universities and students. The technical infrastructure and equipment or teaching materials required for distance education may not be sufficient in some universities. The fact that these deficiencies have reduced the quality of education has created dissatisfaction with the students. A poorly planned distance education system can cause students to develop negative attitudes (Khoshemehr, 2013). Problems such as technical problems, insufficient materials, communication disruption, and affective deficiencies of students negatively affect the perceptions of learners towards distance education and affect their success and learning negatively (Falowo, 2007). Every step of the distance education application should be passed through a detailed planning process in order to ensure the quality of education and participant satisfaction. Another point voiced by prospective teachers is the effects of distance education on motivation to participate in course and on attendance. Recording of courses and being able to watch them over and over again affect students' participation negatively in synchronous courses. The students, who know that they can access the narrative later, are indifferent and unwilling. A similar result in Gürer, Tekinarslan & Yavuzalp (2016) research was that student motivation fell for two reasons. The main reason for low motivation is to know that you can watch the course again whenever you want and the quality of the teaching provided does not meet the expectation. However, high student success and motivation is one of the main reasons why universities prefer distance education (Cabı, 2016). This situation can be explained by the fact that the transition from face-to-face education to distance education is due to pandemic. When the students were sent to their homes in March, they thought that they would return to their schools again after 3 weeks. However, with the new decision, this holiday turned into distance education that includes the all spring semester. The students' not being ready for this transition, either cognitively or affectively, may have affected their attitudes towards distance education. On the other hand, students' being not accustomed to distance education, lack of technology tendency and lack of necessary skills for e-learning may also lead to low class participation and performance (Johnson, 2008, cited: Gürer at all, 2016). However, in order to ensure success in distance education, it should satisfy the participants, and teaching activities should be presented in fun and easy ways. The content should be arranged in a way that the student needs and needs, there should be no communication disruption between the university and the student (Holmberg, 2003). Another of the students' points of view about distance education is the duration of the courses. One lesson of 50 minutes in face-to-face education is limited to 20 minutes in online lessons (Adobe Connect limited version was used by university). Although this situation is related to the chosen LMS, prospective teachers evaluated this as a negativity of distance education. Similar comments also apply to the teaching learning methods and techniques used in the course. By choosing a LMS (Zoom, Udemy, Cisco Webex, ect.) that will allow diversity in the use of methods and techniques, methods and techniques other than “expression” and “teaching through presentation” or teacher-centered education can be used. As mentioned above, this is not a limitation of distance education, but a limitation of the chosen LMS. The bad choices of decision makers make the process unsuccessful. It should be noted that the management stage is also effective in the success of distance education (Kaya, 2002). Evaluation in distance education is the other point emphasized by prospective teachers. Participants believe that success must be assessed through homework and projects. However, they are also uncomfortable with the quality and scope of the homework and projects. The main determinant of this is the instructor who gives the course. It is surprising that prospective teachers ignore this and receive distance education as responsible. In distance education, it is thought that weekly assignments may be preferred to ensure continuous attendance, but long and time-consuming assignments should not be given Ozelci 190 because it decreases student motivation (Cabı, 2016). In summary, the lack of knowledge and experience of prospective teachers on distance education clearly shows themselves at every stage. The power of interaction between components such as students, teachers, LMS, content in distance education also affects the affective characteristics of the student such as attitude towards the process, motivation and interest. It can be said that this situation also determines the quality of distance education (Karataş, 2005; Holmberg, 2003; Kaya, 2002). This study, in which teacher candidates' views on distance education were discussed, was carried out with participants who are stakeholders other than their own preferences. Many do not have distance education experience. In addition to experience, there is not enough technical equipment and facilities to follow and actively participate in distance education (see findings). According to the findings, it can be said that the evaluation of the prospective teachers other than the computer and instructional technology prospective teachers regarding the process is negative. This indicates that the technical infrastructure is the determining factor in the success of distance education. In this context, it is natural that it creates a perception of deprivation or dissatisfaction for users who do not have the necessary technological equipment and infrastructure. 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