This article is the result of a review of books, journals and various documents related to adult learning and aims to present an overview of the main contributions of andragogy to teaching and its principles and characteristics. It also desires to point out those structural and didactic aspects that differentiate it from pedagogy. Likewise, the paper intends to show how information and communication technologies (ICTs) are a valuable resource for the andragogical educational process, since through their means and tools learning environments can be developed that are adjusted to psychosocial needs, conditions and cognitive styles of the adult learner.

This article reflects the results of some experiences that the author has been working in recent years into the field of distance and virtual education, particularly in the process that is being developed at the Universidad Abierta y a Distancia Vicerectory (VUAD) from Santo Tomás University to strengthen and consolidate the pedagogical use of information and communications technology (ICT) as part of a combined or mixed model (blended-learning), to face new challenges of social, productive, economic, cultural and educational settings at local, regional, national and international level, making necessary to rethink and project both traditional distance education and e-learning, to new teaching practices, innovative methodological resources and more flexible and dynamic strategies in the context of a more interactive and dialogic teaching.According to the aspects mentioned, the article discusses over threee main topics: the characteristics of distance education, the pedagogical use of ICT and interaction as the basis of the communication mediation in a dialogic teaching context in a blended-learning model.

This article collects some concerns and reflections that the author proposes about research in the field of virtual education (EV) and the new challenges that this modality poses in training processes, especially in higher education. From this perspective, some considerations of (EV) as an object of study are addressed and some lines and themes are suggested to project research as an essential function for the development of virtuality, facing education in the 21st century.