The Future of Distance Learning

In five to ten years the perceptions of distance learning will be stronger than it is now. While distance learning has, according to Siemens (2011), grown in popularity with the increase in online communication, practical experiences with new technological tools, a growing sense of comfort with online communication, and a greater ability to communicate with diverse and global groups, there are still some people today who question distance learning’s effectiveness and/or rigor. Dede (2005) believes that “learning based on seeking, sieving, and synthesizing, rather than on assimilating a single ‘validated’ source of knowledge as from books, television, or a professor’s lectures” is the way to go and technology is helping us get there. The type of learner Dede sees is a neomillennial learner who can multitask and use technology more efficiently than learners in the past. This is an evolution of learning styles he suggests, and education will need to rise to the challenge using technology to enhance the learning environment. Whether it will be more schools and teachers using digital cable to push video faster, clearer, and capable of delivering a standardized education to rural areas, or a larger number of teachers using Internet access and Web 2.0 tools to enhance their students’ educational experience, in five to ten years, perceptions of distance learning will grow strong.

In ten to twenty years the perceptions of distance learning will be that it is routine and normal. Teacher training will require courses in instructional design and/or computer technology as part of their undergraduate degree programs so that every teacher is skilled in creating basic distance learning modules. While teachers may operate in a hybrid environment, many teachers will also teach online-only sections. Simonson et al (2009) believe the traditional classroom will not disappear, but the hybrid environment will be utilized the most. Technology will have continued to advance allowing us to communicate faster and more efficiently—perhaps normal phone and email communication will be replaced by mobile video. At any rate, in ten to twenty years learners will be researching, filtering, mixing, publishing, and sharing information faster and more efficiently than ever. Simonson et al (2009) promote Online Discussion Boards as popular and effective method for allowing students to communicate with each other and with their instructor. The purpose is to for dialogue to be between peers with the instructor providing only guidance and fact-checking, rather than have a student-teacher conversation. In ten to twenty years, I can see online discussion boards consisting solely of video casts and peer interaction would be second-nature after so much time.  

As an instructional designer and/or a facilitator of online classes, I can be a proponent for improving societal perceptions of distance learning through adherence to the principles governing strong instructional design and online facilitator practice. As Piskurich & Chauser  (2011) discussed, knowing the software and the tools I will use, using the objectives to guide design and development, and communicating effectively with those involved is the best way to facilitate. I contend it is a great way to work in general. Using the ADDIE model to guide me through the ID process and using the AEIOU model, as we discovered from Simonson et al (2009), for making revisions and evaluating the effectiveness of a module will help me create engaging and professional distance learning experiences. Communicating effectively and addressing the needs of my stakeholders and my learners will also help establish the effectiveness of distance learning. I will also be a positive force for continuous improvement in the field of distance education because I plan to continue teaching online courses and promoting the benefits and effectiveness of distance education.

References

Dede, C. (2005). Planning for neomillennial learning styles. Educause Quarterly (28) 1. 7-12.

Piskurich, G., & Chauser, J. (2011). “Facilitating Online Learning.” Video Program.

Siemens, G. (2011). “The Future of Distance Education.” Video Program.

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2009). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (4^th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.

For a Trainer Who is Considering and Online Session

With a frustrated training manager ready to try a hybrid learning environment due to inadequate face-to-face training sessions, there are some pre-planning strategies the trainer needs to consider before converting his program. Such strategies include considering “not only the goals, needs, and characteristics of teachers and students, but also content requirements and technical constraints” (Sherry, 1996). Just because the trainer is ready to try something new, does not determine that such a change is warranted and will be successful. In order to determine whether a training session is appropriate for an online or hybrid environment, an instructional designer should use the ADDIE model. With a strong analysis—of stakeholder needs, of leaner needs, and of design needs—one can begin to determine how best to approach the issue.  

When and if the trainer has discovered that an online or hybrid training module will serve the purpose, learning objectives need to be written as they will help the trainer focus on the learner, as Simonson et al (2009) suggest. Nash (2005) warns us that “Inconsistency in online learning occurs when instructor behavior does not align itself with expectations, or when the learning objects do not function in a predictable, practical way.” When learning objectives are in place, a decision on how best to facilitate the content needs to be made. There are Course Management Systems (CMS) that can house resources and provide a various Web 2.0 tools to assist in the facilitation of the training sessions. However, one must be careful in the selection because Piskurich and Chauser (2011) discuss the importance of the facilitator knowing the software. The trainer needs to have a lot of familiarity with whatever system is chosen in order to help students navigate and trouble shoot the system as well as utilize the system’s tools and features. Whether using a CMS like Blackboard, Moodle, and SchoolRack, or simply utilizing a wiki, needs and expenses are driving factors for this decision.

Once the trainer has chosen an online house where learners can find the training sessions, development of lesson plans that adhere to the learning objectives can be initiated. Simonson et al (2009) remind us that the goal of successful distance learning is to create experiences equivalent to that of traditional face-to-face experiences. Sherry (1996) says, “Successful distance education systems involve interactivity between teacher and students, between students and the learning environment, and among students themselves, as well as active learning in the classroom.” Therefore, developing activities that involve students in a collaborative way, revolve around the training content, and provide opportunities to apply learned material, is recommended. Nash (2005) indicates that “affiliation needs are often satisfied by means of an interactive discussion board or chat area. […] Any learning object that helps improve collaboration and interactivity among learners is likely to help a learner or user achieve affiliation needs.” Using threaded discussions, for example, would provide learners with opportunities to dialogue about the material they have learned, helping each other to learn more deeply, retaining information more efficiently. Any material from the trainer’s original program that provided collaboration could be enhanced in the distance learning format. Resources the trainer has always shared are available to learners any time and cost the company less in printing costs. Simonson et al (2009) remind us that successful distance learning is NOT uploading text-based documents students have to read one after another. Successful distance learning is active, and the roles of the learner and instructor have changed.

The trainer’s role in an online learning environment changes from the traditional role from face-to-face sessions. It is vital, for example, to clearly communicate the expected responsibilities of everyone involved. Providing students up front with course directives, expectations, responsibilities, and rubrics for assessments are very important and can set the tone for a positive or negative experience. Even discussing assessment methods can curtail future problems. Providing learners with formative assessments that can be taken multiple times, for example, can promote student motivation and spark their competitive spirit, according to Simonson et al (2009). The trainer can also motivate students by helping them feel connected with classmates and the course. The trainer could provide discussion forums where learners can communicate online. To ensure such forums are used purposefully, the trainer must help establish a solid academic culture “ensuring that misinformation is not accepted as fact” (Simonson et al (2009).  The role of the facilitator includes promoting students to engage other students while using the course content as support. Some effective ways a facilitator can ensure students engage in meaningful conversation include responding to about one in four student posts and reducing that number over the duration of the course allows the dialogue to take place more between learners, rather than create a simple teacher-student conversation.

When the training session is completed and students have begun participating and completing the course, the trainer can utilize the AEIOU method for making revisions. Determining if objectives were met, if things were completed the way they were supposed to, if any unforeseen circumstances arose from the distance learning experience can all help the trainer make revisions to the training session hopefully making things better, more efficient for learners in the future. Conducting surveys and interviews, looking at data and records provide a solid analysis of what is really going on in the training session.

References

Nash, S. (2005). “Learning Objects, Learning Object Repositories, and Learning Theory:  Preliminary Best Practices for Online Courses” Interdisciplinary Journal of Knowledge and Learning Objects (1). 217-228.

Piskurich, G., & Chauser, J. (2011). “Facilitating Online Learning.” Video Program.

Sherry, L. (1996). Issues in Distance Learning. International Journal of Educational Telecommunications, 1 (4), 337-365.

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2009). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (4^th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.

Open Source Learning

In addition to supplying lots of good resources—audio and video pod casts for free—Open Culture (found at http://www.openculture.com/) is part of a growing educational trend taking place online. Simonson et al (2009) note that while open source does not necessarily mean free, there are a number of course management systems that offer “The code in which the software is written” for free to those who adhere to the Open Source Initiative (OSI) (256). The idea behind the OSI is to provide anyone who wants to learn a chance to do it at a distance. Rather than worry about assignments, rosters, and grades, Open Culture supplies any learner with a standard computer with Internet access an opportunity for higher learning.

Open Culture appears to be pre-planned and designed for a distance learning environment because it is organized with the learner in mind. While the course is linked to YouTube or I-Tunes in most cases, there is documentation provided that explains what learners are about to see. When clicking on the American Literature I course from the Open Culture course menu, New York University’s Professor Cyrus Patell’s Biography is accessible as well as a summary about the course he is leading and a list of key topics his course will cover. There are transcripts available for each video pod cast which is another indication of the pre-planning needed to meet learner’s needs as well as a PDF file of Professor Patell’s lecture notes. The video reveals Professor Patell in a college classroom where he is actually lecturing to a traditional face-to-face class. I believe this course, while focusing on content and knowledge rather than the development of skills, follows what Simonson et all (2009) say about the goal of distance learning: to provide similar learning experiences to that of traditional face-to-face experiences.

Open Culture follows the recommendations for online instruction as listed in our course textbook as it places the emphasis on the student. As Piskurich & Chauser (2011) also discuss, solid distance learning experiences allow learners to explore and learn as designers decided what content to cover, how learners would access the material, and what learners can do with their new-found knowledge. Open Culture supplies accurate and scholarly content as its courses are supported by renowned universities and are facilitated by reputable college professors. However, deciding what students should do with the information and how one might assess student learning is not the focus of Open Source education. In fact, the designers of Open Culture did not spend time designing and developing tasks and assignments that reinforce the curriculum the course covers. In addition, although the videos may be reviewed at leisure and transcripts are available, the course format is always a video or audio cast of the teacher’s lecture. The traditional lecture format is not the best way to reach all learners.

Although the potential of Open Source learning, like what Open Culture provides to any distance learner, may not be the best thing to add to a resume, learners who cannot afford or who have no means to physically attend college now have the means to get a higher education. Open Source learning, like the kind provided by Open Culture, is a great idea that can help educate the people all over the world when they may not have had such an opportunity otherwise.

References

Piskurich, G., & Chauser, J. (2011). Planning and designing online courses. Video.

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2009). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance learning (4^th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.

Interactive Tours Scenario

A high school history teacher located on the west coast of the United States wants to showcase to her students new exhibits being held at two prominent New York City museums. The teacher wants her students to take a "tour" of the museums and be able to interact with the museum curators, as well as see the art work on display. Afterward, the teacher would like to choose two pieces of artwork from each exhibit and have her students participate in a group critique of the individual work of art. As a novice of distance learning and distance learning technologies, she has turned to the school district’s instructional designer for assistance. In the role of the instructional designer, what distance learning technologies would you suggest the teacher use to provide the best learning experience for her students?

Classrooms around the world are beginning to take notice of the benefits of distance learning. The Interactive Tour scenario presents instructional designers with a challenge to allow students to “Tour” two museums, look at artwork on display, and collaboratively critique multiple pieces of art, all from across the continental United States. Current technology makes it possible for students today to take advantage of terrific distance learning experiences like this. Such an experience requires distance learning technology, like a wiki, and two-way video/audio capability, like compressed video, to be successful.

To assist the history teacher in her desire to have her students interact with the museum curators, Simonson et al (2009) might suggest synchronous television. The most common type, while mainly found in corporate America, is called compressed video. However, more schools are tapping into synchronous television benefits and are making special arrangements to accommodate such distance learning opportunities. Simonson et al (2009) states that compressed video is mobile, capable of being “set up in almost any classroom […] where there is a telephone connection” (106), and that such compressed video systems have shown success in South Dakota, supporting such programs as The Digital Dakota Network. Depending on our school district’s budget, perhaps our history teacher could utilize a distance learning classroom or a distance learning cart. This type of real-time communication would also be dependent upon the museum curator’s availability. The result, should schedules allow, would be effective.

Finn (2009) also believes in the power of compressed video in education. Because it can bridge students in remote areas with authentic learning experiences elsewhere, compressed video is an effective distance learning tool. Finn (2009) provides three steps crucial for compressed video courses, providing a handout, making an effort to personalize the experience, and assessing/re-evaluating the teaching style. The history teacher, as the professional who is actually in charge of instruction, can certainly help organize the conference. Providing students and curators with a handout of what is to be covered combined with a little coaching for the curators should provide a worthwhile educational experience for everyone. Images of the artwork the curators can provide could support conference discussion as students could see the artwork as well as hear and see the museum curator. Developing a simple PowerPoint presentation with images of the artwork from each museum’s display could provide an enriched learning experience for everyone.

In addition to using two-way video/audio tools, utilizing a wiki, a free Web 2.0 tool allowing groups to share information about a given topic, would support the history teacher’s need for students to group critique pieces of art. While Elgort, Smith, & Toland (2008) warn us about ineffective ways wikis have been and continue to be used, they do steer readers toward effective uses, focusing on the collaborative nature of wikis. In fact, they say “the asynchronous nature of wiki contributions and ability to edit each other’s work may allow the ‘quiet’ student to make a significant contribution to the assessed outcomes” (198). A multiple-page wiki housing two pieces of artwork from two different museums would allow students a platform to post their critiques and dialogue with each other, their instructor, and the museum curators. This is where Elgort, Smith, & Toland (2008) make a distinction in proper wiki use; wikis are not to be used to “create and extract knowledge” only, like an online discussion tool, but are meant to assist students in “working together towards a common goal, […] but actually applying what they know and have learned, and demonstrating their understanding in action” (199). Because students in the west coast history class will be collaboratively critiquing pieces of art, I believe a wiki would provide a solid platform for a deep learning experience.

The collaborative critiques will promote a deeper learning experience as students learn to work together in the two different editing formats that wikis offer, the document style and the thread style, according to Konieczny, P. (2007). The document style is where students refine their collaborative efforts, publishing the best of what the group has learned, shared, and edited. The thread style is more of the brainstorming dialogue where group members engage in conversations and state opinions to determine what the group will ultimately publish. Konieczny, P. (2007) also suggests that because wikis work well with other web tools, wikis are a perfect vehicle for housing embedded images, videos, and/or audio files. Because she can load images of the artwork she wants her students to group critique on her wiki, I believe setting up a free wiki will help provide an enriched distance learning experience for the history teacher’s students.

The end result of this plan will provide students with opportunities to interact with New York museum curators, see artwork on display, and work together to evaluate multiple pieces of art. Using two-way video/audio and wiki technology can make this history teacher’s idea become a reality.

References

Elgort, I., Smith, A., & Toland, J. (2008). Is wiki an effective platform for group course work? Australasian Journal of Educational Technology (24) 2. 195-210. Retrieved from Google Scholar on May 22, 2011.

Finn, J. (2009). Teaching a compressed video class: Three steps to success. Retrieved from Google Scholar on May 20, 2011.

Konieczny, P. (2007). Wikis and Wikipedia as a teaching tool. International journal of instructional technology and distance learning (4) 1. 15-34. Retrieved from Google Scholar on May 21, 2011.

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2009). Teaching and learning at a distance (4^th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.

A Brief History of Distance Learning

During its evolution, distance learning was not alone. Technology has held its hand along the way and is the reason distance learning continues to evolve today. According to Simonson et al (2009), distance learning has gone from a correspondence study, to an electronic study, now to distance teaching universities. With each advancement in technology, distance learning morphs into a wider-reaching concept with potential to enhance the educational experience of any learner.   

Walden’s Distance Learning Time Continuum (2010) agrees with Simonson et al (2009), each grounding the roots of distance learning in Europe nearly one hundred sixty years ago. A Swedish Newspaper offered mail correspondence courses on writing. The idea visited England as Sir Isaac Pitman (1840) taught short hand instruction via correspondence and later established Correspondence Colleges, and it went to Germany where Charles Toussaint and Gustav Langenscheidt (1840) taught language via pen and paper.

Drifting across ocean waters, distance learning ran aground in America, where Anna Eliot Ticknor’s (1873) encouragement toward home schooling gained clout in the Boston area and lasted a little more than a couple of decades. The development of telegraph communications (1897) contributed to correspondence study sending communication faster than ever via wire. Radio (1922-1933) and television (1934-1964) are also notable advancements in technology that contributed to correspondence study as both were able to reach a wider audience than ever.  

Electronic Communications, like some Europeans using audio recordings for educating the blind, helped make advancements in distance learning, Simonson et al (2009) relate. Educational radio stations and television programs capable of reaching unprecedented numbers were being utilized at many major American universities as early as the 1930s, but it was satellite technology (1960s) that allowed “the rapid spread of instructional television” in the 1980s (38). Live two-way communication with clear video and crisp sound due to technological advancements in fiber optic cable (80s and 90s) paved the way for many educational institutions to turn their communications electronic where the long-term monetary savings makes distance learning more enticing. Now that computers and the Internet (90s to present) have been introduced, distance learning in the electronic communications age has unlimited potential.  

In last couple of decades there has been a growth in Distance Teaching Universities, which Simonson et al (2009) would say can be traced back to the University of South Africa (1962) and Open University of the United Kingdom, two of the first degree-giving distance learning institutions of higher education in the world. Distance Teaching Universities offer a variety of students, traditional and non-traditional, opportunities to learn more deeply about a multitude of subjects. We can all benefit from distance learning today because distance learning focuses on the learner. Whichever theory guides the process, the learner, their time, their focus, their learning style, is central to the purpose of distance learning. Knowles’ (1990) Andragogy, Holmberg’s Interaction and Communication, Moore’s Independent Study (2007) and Wedemeyer’s Independent Study (1981) all maintain the importance of effective and positive communication between student and teacher. While much of the responsibility is place on the learner in a distance learning environment, having a positive mentor throughout the process is obviously paramount.

Distance learning, while always evolving, is individual-based learning, separated from, yet guided by an instructor through technology throughout the learning process, which includes a demonstration of a variety of skills that reinforce a system-based instructional curriculum. I believe the direction of technology dictates the direction of distance learning. As technological advancements continue to emerge, distance learning will continue to evolve into something that reaches unprecedented numbers in such a way that individual learners’ needs are met as their educational experience is deeper, more enriched than ever. The hope is that proper instructional design practices are followed when developing distance learning materials.  

References

Distance Learning Time Continuum. (2010). Interactive Multimedia Program. Walden University.

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2009). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (4th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.