Reflections on The Future of Distance Education

To begin reflecting on the future of distance learning, one should look at the development of distance learning through history.  Correspondence study to electronic communications to distance teaching universities have evolved relatively recently to meet the needs of students in the areas of flexibility, collaboration, interaction, and economical use of resources (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012, pp. 37-41).  There are several advantages of online learning listed by Simonson et al (pp. 125-126).  The system must be available to any qualified individual in the world, at any time, on any computer platform.  The students must be able to work at their own pace, and have access to current information.  Active learning is promoted, accommodating different learning styles.

Several theories have been proposed that help guide the designer in the development of education.  These theories help to guide the designer and are separated into categories of independence and autonomy, industrialization of teaching, interaction and communication, and communication and diffusion (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012, p. 43).  Theories help the designer make decisions with confidence (p. 42).  What was emphasized in this course is that not just one theory may apply to a single design, but the designer may draw information from more than one to lay the foundation for the instruction.

Moller, Foshay, and Huett emphasize that the instructional design professional has challenges to evolve the field of distance education, and also assure that sound professional design practice leads this enterprise ((2008, p. 70).  The instructional environment should be a system that includes the components of instructor, learner, material and technology (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012, p. 151).

It is also important for the instructional designer to be aware of current technologies and utilize them to enhance the learner interaction and engagement with the education.  Beldarrain points out that technology not only plays a key role in the dynamics in delivery options, but also is responsible for distorting the concept of distance between learner and instructor.  It also enables learner to access education at any time and from any place (2006, p. 139).

I believe distance learning will continue to evolve and grow in the future, with the instructional designer leading the charge by providing quality, well-planned educational opportunities based on distance theories that meet the needs of learners with multiple learning styles.  Siemens discussed the future directions of distance education as involving new communication technologies; contribution by experts around the world; and increased use of multimedia, games, and simulations (Laureate, n.d.).  The future looks promising and exciting for designer, instructor, and learner.

References: 

Beldarrain, Y. (2006). Distance education trends: Integrating new technologies to foster student interaction and collaboration. Distance Education, 27(2),139–153.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer) (n.d. b). “Distance Education: The Next Generation.” [Multimedia program].

Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Huett, J. (2008). The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the web (Part 1: Training and development). TechTrends, 52(3), 70–75.

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (5th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.

Converting to Distance Learning: Best Practices

Distance education is found to be very effective, and successful attainment of learning outcomes occurs with this instruction (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012, p. 7).  The training manager seems to be going down the correct path in converting the face-to-face sessions to a blended learning format. 

Conversion should include analysis of the instruction and learners, development of performance objectives and instructional materials, and design shift to visual presentations and engagement of the learners (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012, pp. 152-153). In other words, following the ADDIE process to ensure that all aspects of the training are included.

The trainer should consider the components of a successful system:  learners, content, method and materials, and the environment (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012, p. 152).  Since the quality of communication is what is frustrating to the trainer, this should be the focus of the distance environment.  There are several ways to enhance communication in this setting.  One tool is the online discussion, which the trainer can facilitate by providing information the students will use to formulate postings, responding regularly to threads, and giving supportive feedback to guide the learning in the discussion forum.  The trainer should maximize student interaction by monitoring, facilitating, and participating in exchange (Beldarrain, 2006, p. 149).  Piskurich indicates that the instructor should keep in constant communication with students and show that he cares about their success (Laureate, n.d.).

An important component to the distance systems will be the technology that is available to the learners.  Will they have adequate support in the resources they need to complete the learning?  Will there be technological support for potential issues?  The trainer will need to provide alternative plans in case of technical challenges (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 20120, p. 153).  Beldarrain points out that technology can achieve engagement and interactions not possible in the original training (2006, p. 147). 

The trainer could build on the original learning objectives, calendar, and instructional materials to support the transition to a distance environment.  With careful and thorough planning, this endeavor should be a success for both trainers and learners.

References: 

Beldarrain, Y. (2006). Distance education trends: Integrating new technologies to foster student interaction and collaboration. Distance Education, 27(2),139–153.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer) (n.d.). “Facilitating Online Learning.” [Multimedia program].

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (5th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.

Open Course, Yale, Harvard, Oh My…

You may have heard of online courses and are not sure what content or learning would occur in that setting.  The open courses are a form of distance education for students who cannot otherwise participate in the face-to-face setting (Beldarrain, 2006, p. 139).  One of my colleagues at work shared with me that he often uses open courses to enhance his learning experiences.  He searches for opportunities to gain education in areas of interest to him, as well as supplements his professional knowledge with material provided from these sources.

In looking for open courses, I explored the Yale and Harvard Open Course sites.  I was excited to find several topics of interest to me; among them history and music.  Although they were basically videos of lectures, the professors were knowledgeable and engaging.  As part of the music course, I thoroughly enjoyed the guest artists and conductors who shared their expertise and ability to enhance the lecture material.  As an online learner, I was able to navigate past undesired subjects as well as subjects with which I was already familiar.

There are several theories of distance education.  Charles Wedemeyer indicated that the essence of distance education was the independence of the student, and preferred using the term independent study (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012, p. 43).  Obviously, this is the Theory of Independent Study with specific characteristics emphasizing not only the independence of learners, but also the adoption of technology to implement that independence. 

Two components of learning that I found lacking in the Yale and Harvard courses I reviewed were the communication between instructor and learner (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012, p. 90), and any activity to engage the learner in a different way than a lecture format (p. 92).  Some of the courses on economics, statistics, and mathematics contained activities and problem-solving exercises which would give the learners a more direct and purposeful experience in the course.  Some of the courses offered extra reading materials and a syllabus.  Most contained an index of subtopics for the learner to select from.

It was delightful to explore the learning experiences in these two sites, and to know that learners from all over the world can benefit from this education through the web and technology used for delivery.  In my exploration of this venue, I found a link to a global community of open courseware which may be of interest to those who wish to focus on this type of distance learning: http://www.ocwconsortium.org/about-ocw/. 

References: 

Beldarrain, Y. (2006). Distance education trends: Integrating new technologies to foster student interaction and collaboration. Distance Education, 27(2),139–153.

Harvard Open Courses: Open Learning Initiative.  Retrieved from
http://www.extension.harvard.edu/open-learning-initiative

Open Yale Courses: A free open website offering a number of introductory courses taught by Yale University professors.  Retrieved from 
http://oyc.yale.edu/

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (5th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.