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.