Reflections on Distance Education

Reflections on the Future of Distance Learning

Distance Learning is gaining wide acceptance across the globe to learners and employers alike. Siemens (n.d.) avers that online education is gaining acceptance due to increased online communication and growing comfort with web 2.0 technology tools. Gambescia and Paolucci (2009) alleged that the number of online courses students enrolled today has out-distanced all other forms of distance learning in a remarkably short amount of time. A google search for online classes generated about 4.5 million results in 0.19 seconds.

Future Perceptions of Distance Learning (5–10 Years; 10–20 Years)

The future of Distance Education is really quite promising. Prensky as far back as 2001 observed that students in the 21st century were no longer the people that existing educational system was designed to teach. He described the students as “native speakers” of the digital language of computers, video games and the Internet (Prensky, 2001). He observed that these students would continue to revolutionize the education systems by adopting and demanding new technologies and new approaches to learning.

Ira Socol in his blog argued that the world of education presently includes Mobile phones, computers, hypertext, social networking, collaborative cognition (from Wikipedia on up), Google, text-messaging, Twitter, audiobooks, digital texts, text-to-speech, speech recognition, flexible formatting and a myriad of other technology tools afforded by the web2.0 technologies. He concluded that these technologies would create a flexibility and set of choices unprecedented in human communication by enabling the vast part of the population that earlier media forms disabled (Socol, 2009). These learners will therefore embrace distance-learning technologies due to their comfort with the technology and the increased use of communication tools.

Improving Societal Perceptions of Distance Learning

The key concerns identified that have continued to hold back people from readily accepting Distance Education is the thinking that distance learning cannot be similar or equal to the traditional face to face class. The “equivalency theory,” discussed by Simonson (n.d) promotes equivalent learning outcomes for students in face-to-face and online experiences although different approaches to learning are used. As an instructional designer, I will need to ensure that the course goals and objectives align with the desired course outcomes.

As an Instructional Designer, it will be my primary responsibility to impress upon SME’s on the importance and the critical nature of planning for online courses. I will also advise the instructors to ensure that they do not convert the tradition class by simply posting the materials and resources to an online server. They will need to redesign the course for the distant learner. The use of PowerPoint presentation and handouts will need to examine from the lense of the distant learner. As Siemens suggests, online learner may not have the patience to flip through150 slides as is possible in a traditional classes.

Final Thoughts

I will continue to be a key advocate for Distance Learning. As is already obvious, my decision to take this class (which is purely online) is a testament to this conviction. Henceforward, I will encourage more learners and instructors to migrate part of instruction and learning to the online format. Hybrid course seems to be progressively becoming the baby steps as learners embrace pure distance programs. This class has helped me achieve reasonable comfort in using Course Management System when designing distance program.

References;

Gambescia, S., & Paolucci, R. (2009). Academic fidelity and integrity as attributes of university online degree program offerings. Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, 12(1). Retrieved from http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/spring121/gambescia121.html

Prensky, M. (2001, October). Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants. On the Horizon, Vol. 9(5).

Siemens, G. (n.d.). The Future of Distance Education [Video]. Available from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=5693697&Survey=1&47=7753466&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=1&bhcp=1

Simonson, M. (n.d.). Theory and Distance Learning.(Video) Baltimore , Maryland.retrieved from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=5693697&Survey=1&47=7753466&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=1&bhcp=1

Socol, I. (2009 , July 14). Technology: The Wrong Questions and the Right Questions. Retrieved October 29, 2011, from Change.Org: http://news.change.org/stories/technology-the-wrong-questions-and-the-right-questions