Distance education is the bringing together of learners, instructors and instructional content no matter where each is located (Simonson et al, 2009). What does the future hold for distance education? Most believe that distance education is growing and gaining acceptance as a viable learning environment. What might be fueling this growth? According to George Siemens, a growing sense of comfort with communicating online using current technology tools has propelled distance education activities.
An online source reports, “The changing demographics of students is one of the driving forces behind the growth of distance learning and adult students are the fastest growing group.” If distance learning is growing and becoming more entrenched in higher learning, fueled by comfort with technology and adults desiring to continue their education, what are the perceptions of distance education? In a study conducted by Hannay and Newvine, students indicated that they believe distance learning classes are not only more difficult than the traditional courses, but overall they perceive them to be of high quality. By contrast, another recent study showed that some employers may not value the candidacy of employees who have earned online degrees, suggesting concern about the quality of distance learning. However, overall, perceptions about distance education are changing for the better. And as online learning becomes increasingly accepted as a legitimate learning environment, questions about how individuals perceive distance learning may not be as relevant.
As instructional designers, we have an instrumental role in shaping perceptions around distance learning. Simonson et al pointed out that, “Interactive, real-time, on-demand, learner-centered, authentic and learner-constructed events will characterize the educational environment of the future. Instructional designers are at the forefront and are in the driver’s seat of this movement for learner-centered, authentic, interactive instruction. By designing, developing and delivering high-quality learning events that are continuously evaluated and improved upon, we can change or directly impact future perceptions of distance learning programs.
Looking ahead, how do you believe instructional designers can be a positive force for continuous improvement in the field of distance education? I believe we can do this by always asking questions. Questions like:
• What do you need that you don’t have?
• What do you have that you don’t need?
• How can we improve the product, service or process?
• What does the most current research indicate?
• What are the best practices?
• What is best for us here and now?
By asking questions such as these we are building evaluation and improvement opportunities into our discussions. With quality instruction the norm in distance education, perceptions are bound to change. And “ultimately, the concept of distance will disappear as insignificant” and learners will be left with education.
References
ConnectEd. The Richard W. Riley College of Education and Leadership. Walden University. Retrieved from: http://connected.waldenu.edu/curriculum-resources/technology-in-the-classroom/item/772-what-is-future-of-distance-learning
Hannay, M. Newvine, T. (2006)Perceptions of Distance Learning: A Comparison of Online and Traditional Learning. MERLOT Journal of Online Learning and Teaching. Vol 2, No. 1, March 2006
Shadix, K. (2006) Shady Learning 2.x Blog. Retrieved from: http://shadylearning.wordpress.com/category/lean-instructional-design/
Siemens, G. (2010) Laureate Education. The Future of Distance Education. Retrieved from: http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=4442081&Survey=1&47=6207825&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=1&bhcp=1
Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2009). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (4th ed). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Best Practices Converting to an Online Format
Click on the heading of this blog entry for a quick best practices guide on converting face-to-face courses to online courses. Best practices include: planning instructional strategies, adjusting teaching styles, integrating technology and knowing and understanding distant learners.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Open Courseware Courses - A Review
This week I took a look at a couple Open Courseware courses offered through the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s MITOpenCourseware website. Open courseware is a collection of free classes and course materials that are available online and shared freely with the world via the internet. Open courseware includes class materials such as syllabi, reading lists, lecture notes, assignments, activities and other documents that were once used in an actual classroom and are now available to the public for free (Littlefield). The offerings have been made available through several universities on their websites as a free service to the public. MIT, the pioneer of open courseware, offers courses across a broad range of subjects and is thought to be the most popular site for free educational materials.
My purpose in looking at a few of MIT’s open courseware course was to critically review them from an instructional design perspective. In particular, I was looking to see how well the courses were designed to meet the needs of distant learners. My first observation was that the courses simply seemed to be online versions of the traditional, face-to-face classes, which as mentioned above, really is what open courseware is. However, for distance courses and learners, traditional face-to-face classes should be reworked. Simonson, Smaldino et al believed that the focus of instruction should shift to visual presentations to better engage distant learners (2009). Visually, the courses were left lacking. In fact, with the exception of one audio clip, the units in both courses were completely print-based. There were no multimedia elements to speak of – no videos, no podcasts, no graphics, no animation, no interactivity, nothing. Just that one small audio clip. In distance education, learner engagement is essential; multimedia packs a powerful punch and has the potential to immediately grab learners’ attention.
Another important element in effective distance education is the inclusion of interactivity. One of the courses I reviewed included a group project for the face-to-students. The project was a well-designed one which seemed fun and engaging. It would be an excellent group project for distant learners working in a synchronous environment. We know from numerous studies that student group work is very important in learning. According to Smaldino et al student group work, “helps construct a supportive social environment. Brown and Adler (2008, p. 3) wrote in their landmark work Minds on Fire,
“ Compelling evidence for the importance of social interaction to learning comes from the landmark study by Richard J. Light, of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, of students’ college/university experience. Light discovered that one of the strongest determinants of students’ success in higher education—more important than the details of their instructors’ teaching styles—was their ability to form or participate in small study groups. Students who studied in groups, even only once a week, were more engaged in their studies, were better prepared for class, and learned significantly more than students who worked on their own.”
Group work is just as important for distant learners as it is for learners in traditional environments. While distant learners in synchronous settings could fully participate in the project outlined in the MIT course, the project would probably not work well for those in asynchronous environments who may not have access to other students.
I was pleased to see other types of interactivity as well, namely, assignments that included activities for students. These activities could very easily be incorporated into a distance education course.
Open courseware is a most excellent source of free educational materials; I believe everyone should visit at least one of the websites that offers open courseware. In the quickly-changing world in which we find ourselves, life-long learning will be a much-coveted quality to possess. As Brown and Adler concluded, “We are entering a world in which we all will have to acquire new knowledge and skills on an almost continuous basis” (p.1). Open courseware is certainly a wonderfully-rich resource to help you begin your quest for life-long learning.
Here are links to websites through which you can access open courseware offerings.
Carnegie Mellon's Open Learning Initiative
The Open University
Open Yale Courses
Open Culture
References:
Brown, J., Adler, R.(2008).Minds on Fire. Open Education, the Long Tail, and Learning 2.0. Educause. Retrieved October 9, 2010 from: http://llk.media.mit.edu/courses/readings/jsb-minds-on-fire.pdf
Littlefield, J. Open Courseware. About.com: Distance Learning. Retrieved October 9, 2010 from: http://distancelearn.about.com/od/isitforyou/a/opencourseware.htm
Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2009). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (4th ed). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
My purpose in looking at a few of MIT’s open courseware course was to critically review them from an instructional design perspective. In particular, I was looking to see how well the courses were designed to meet the needs of distant learners. My first observation was that the courses simply seemed to be online versions of the traditional, face-to-face classes, which as mentioned above, really is what open courseware is. However, for distance courses and learners, traditional face-to-face classes should be reworked. Simonson, Smaldino et al believed that the focus of instruction should shift to visual presentations to better engage distant learners (2009). Visually, the courses were left lacking. In fact, with the exception of one audio clip, the units in both courses were completely print-based. There were no multimedia elements to speak of – no videos, no podcasts, no graphics, no animation, no interactivity, nothing. Just that one small audio clip. In distance education, learner engagement is essential; multimedia packs a powerful punch and has the potential to immediately grab learners’ attention.
Another important element in effective distance education is the inclusion of interactivity. One of the courses I reviewed included a group project for the face-to-students. The project was a well-designed one which seemed fun and engaging. It would be an excellent group project for distant learners working in a synchronous environment. We know from numerous studies that student group work is very important in learning. According to Smaldino et al student group work, “helps construct a supportive social environment. Brown and Adler (2008, p. 3) wrote in their landmark work Minds on Fire,
“ Compelling evidence for the importance of social interaction to learning comes from the landmark study by Richard J. Light, of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, of students’ college/university experience. Light discovered that one of the strongest determinants of students’ success in higher education—more important than the details of their instructors’ teaching styles—was their ability to form or participate in small study groups. Students who studied in groups, even only once a week, were more engaged in their studies, were better prepared for class, and learned significantly more than students who worked on their own.”
Group work is just as important for distant learners as it is for learners in traditional environments. While distant learners in synchronous settings could fully participate in the project outlined in the MIT course, the project would probably not work well for those in asynchronous environments who may not have access to other students.
I was pleased to see other types of interactivity as well, namely, assignments that included activities for students. These activities could very easily be incorporated into a distance education course.
Open courseware is a most excellent source of free educational materials; I believe everyone should visit at least one of the websites that offers open courseware. In the quickly-changing world in which we find ourselves, life-long learning will be a much-coveted quality to possess. As Brown and Adler concluded, “We are entering a world in which we all will have to acquire new knowledge and skills on an almost continuous basis” (p.1). Open courseware is certainly a wonderfully-rich resource to help you begin your quest for life-long learning.
Here are links to websites through which you can access open courseware offerings.
Carnegie Mellon's Open Learning Initiative
The Open University
Open Yale Courses
Open Culture
References:
Brown, J., Adler, R.(2008).Minds on Fire. Open Education, the Long Tail, and Learning 2.0. Educause. Retrieved October 9, 2010 from: http://llk.media.mit.edu/courses/readings/jsb-minds-on-fire.pdf
Littlefield, J. Open Courseware. About.com: Distance Learning. Retrieved October 9, 2010 from: http://distancelearn.about.com/od/isitforyou/a/opencourseware.htm
Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2009). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (4th ed). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
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