image courtesy of realestate.msn.com

Home Improvement Projects and Scope Creep

I know I’m not alone in undertaking a home improvement project that morphs into something much larger than anticipated.  A few years ago, we started with the idea of stripping off the wallpaper (previous owner – way too flowery) of our master bathroom and painting the walls to update the look.  While we were brainstorming about paint colors, we thought we’d update the light fixtures and towel rods also.  Once we got started with this basic project, the wallpaper did not want to come off and tore up the drywall.  Somehow, that led to ripping out the whirlpool tub (took up too much of the room) and separate glass shower (leaking issue).  We decided on a large garden tub/shower combo.  That meant my husband needed to build a new wall to accommodate this change.  With the new wall built, to get back to the original project, we finally decided to cover the torn up drywall with bead board.  My teen sons got involved and thought we should tile above the tub/shower.  They had so much fun tiling on the wall that they convinced my husband to rip up the carpeting and tile the bathroom floor!  Oh, I almost forgot that my husband then decided “while we were at it” to change the layout of the closet.  (Seriously – we’re really not that crazy.)  All of this meant sharing our sons’ bathroom for the entire school year.  We’re finished now (except for hanging the pictures) and back in our own bathroom.  It does look fabulous, but the project turned into much more than “hey, let’s remove this ugly wallpaper and apply a nice shade of paint”.

Looking back, if we would have applied some principles of project management, this project would have been more effective and efficient.  One suggestion that Dr. Stolovitch offers is to scope the work – this is where it begins, and this is where it ends (Laureate Education, n.d.).  We had a loose plan in place, but we did not really take the time to look at the big picture, nor did we think long term enough.  Portny et al. (2008) also state that the success of a project is “absolutely dependent on detailed planning”.  While I would call our project a success, because of the scope creep the project dragged on as each new development caused a project delay (and project stress).  Every activity eats up your scarcest resource – time (Laureate Education, n.d.).  All of those changes ate up a lot of time!  We also spent much more money than the originally budgeted few gallons of paint. The moneybucket.org website suggests that before starting any home improvement project, homeowners need to do some research to understand each step from start to finish.  By not brainstorming and planning out the scope, tasks involved, and all of the steps involved, we ended up spending much more time, effort, and money on this project.

References

Gerri (2011). Saving money – or not – with DIY projects. Moneybucket.org. Retrieved from http://www.moneybucket.org/saving-money-or-not-with-diy-projects/

Laureate Education, (n.d.). Creating a project schedule. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp

Laureate Education, (n.d.). Defining the scope of an ID project. Retrieved from

https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_4065699_1%26url%3D

Portny, S. E., Mantel, S. J., Meredith, J. R., Shafer, S. M., Sutton, M. M., & Kramer, B. E. (2008). Project management: Planning, scheduling, and controlling projects. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Resource Allocation and Budgeting

This week our resources focused on resource allocation and budgeting. Portny et al. (2008) define a project budget as “nothing more than the project plan, based on the Work Breakdown Structure, expressed in monetary terms”. Our task this week was to search the web for resources that would be useful in estimating costs, effort, and/or duration of activities connected with instructional design projects.

One resource that came up during my search is one that I have utilized in previous instructional design courses: Don Clark’s Big Dog & Little Dog’s Performance Juxtaposition website. What I found most helpful on this site were some actual budgeting guidelines from different expert sources that could be plugged into a budget. For example, the eLearning Guild (2002) estimate suggests that to create one hour of simple asynchronous e-learning, 117 hours of development time should be budgeted. This site reminds us that the budget is an estimate and may not be correct the first time, but should be evaluated and adjusted as more information is obtained (Clark, 2010). The link contains many more project details that are useful to begin your cost estimates.

A second site that I found helpful is Freelance Switch and an article by Jennifer Stakes Roberts titled 6 Budget Planning Steps to Professional Project Estimates. This article comes from the perspective of a freelancer and walks the reader step-by-step through creating both top-down estimates and bottom-up estimates. In the top-down approach, the article breaks the estimating down into direct costs and indirect costs. For someone new to budgeting, I like that this article reminds the reader to include those indirect costs such as office costs, equipment, and administrative costs. The author also gives suggestions on questions to ask the client and what to do if your estimate is too high.

A third site that I found helpful as someone studying instructional design and project management was the Microsoft Office Project 2013 site and the section titled 5 steps to prepare your project budget. This area of the Microsoft site goes through the three different types of cost associated with a project: resource rates, fixed costs, and per-use costs. There are also key terms in red that when clicked on give a definition. Embedded within the steps to preparing the project budget are also the steps on creating the budget using Microsoft Office Project. So, for someone like me who is trying Microsoft’s Office Project for the first time this week, this support site is a great resource.

References

Clark, D. (2010). Estimating costs and time in instructional design. Retrieved from http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/costs.html

Microsoft Corporation (2013). 5 steps to prepare your budget. Retrieved from http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/project-help/5-steps-to-prepare-your-project-budget-HA001141182.aspx

Portny, S. E., Mantel, S. J., Meredith, J. R., Shafer, S. M., Sutton, M. M., & Kramer, B. E. (2008). Project management: Planning, scheduling, and controlling projects. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Resource allocation image retrieved from http://www.strategicmanagementbureau.com/home/2013/7/18/are-resource-allocation-decisions-the-key-to-achieving-agili.html

Roberts, J. S. (2013). 6 budget planning steps to professional project estimates. Retrieved from http://freelanceswitch.com/the-business-of-freelancing/plan-project-estimate-budgets/

Communicating Effectively

Leadership Communication:  Relations for Introvert Leaders Image by:  kenfagerdotcom

Dr. Stolovitch in Communicating with Stakeholders advises that project managers are diplomats (Laureate Education, n.d.).  The website dictionary.com defines a diplomat as someone “who is tactful and skillful in managing delicate situations, and handling people”.  Dr. Stolovitch also suggests that clear, concise, and focused communication helps everyone stay on target; however communication is more than just words (Laureate Education, n.d.).  We need to be mindful of our spirit and attitude, tonality and body language, time, and the personality of the person with whom we are communicating (Laureate Education, n.d.).  
This week we examined how the mode of communication can affect how the message is received or interpreted.  During our Walden presentation, we received the same message as an email, voicemail, and delivered face-to-face.  Here are my reactions to these different modes:

Email

• The most formal of the three communication modes
• The message came across as casually polite, but made it clear that the missing report/data was needed.
• The message was documented in writing.  The information could easily be reread for clarity and understanding.  It could also be printed and filed or added to an email folder as part of the project record.  Mark should also take note that because it is in writing, Jane has documented her request for the needed information.
• There was no specific timeframe given, just that an ETA was needed and let me know when you can do it.

Voicemail

• Less formal because the request was not documented in writing
• Tone still came across as fairly polite, but the sense of urgency was apparent in the tone of voice and some of the words that were emphasized.
• As the receiver, I needed to listen to the message several times to get all of the details.

Face-to-Face

• At first glance appears very casual and informal – over the partition conversation, not even sitting down
• The tone, body language, and facial expressions however seemed condescending.
• Jane could have kept the visit friendlier by sitting down for a moment to “chat” first, and then ask the question about the needed data.
• If the message is delivered in person, it is harder to ignore than a voicemail or email message.
• There is nothing in writing to Mark about this request, but Jane could document the conversation with Mark for her records.

What can we learn from these scenarios about how to communicate (or how NOT to communicate) with project team members?

• After receiving the same message in three different modalities, it helped me to realize that how a message is delivered is as important as the content of the message.  Vince Budrovich recommends that project managers tailor their communication strategy to fit the specific needs of each stakeholder (Laureate Education, n.d.).  Jane needs to put her request in the context of the project and consider her working relationship with Mark in order to select the best communication mode for that message.

• Assuming Jane is the project manager, has she created and shared a project timeline with her stakeholders?  A well communicated plan with due dates may have helped avoid this confrontation with Mark and helped Jane to receive her data in time to create her own report.

• Another important communication strategy is to hold regularly scheduled team meetings.  This would give team members the opportunity to give and receive progress updates as well as “sustain productive and trusting interpersonal relationships” (Portny et al., 2007). 

• Sometimes as the project manager, we don’t have direct authority over some or all of the project team members.  Portny et al. (2007) offer some suggestions to overcome this. 

1. First, make sure your communications are clear and specific and formalize agreements in writing.  
2. Also, make the person accountable to the team, because his/her actions affect the progress of the team.  Let team members know about commitments made and acknowledge when those promises are met and also communicate to the team when they are not (Portny et al., 2007).

Communicating to team members clearly about the objectives and goals of the project will help them to better understand the big picture or vision AND how their piece(s) fits into the goal.  The Project Management Institute (PMI®) website suggests that successful project managers “translate strategy for the team”.  The project manager, through communicating the objectives, can help team members see how individual parts of the project support the big picture.

References

dictionary.com retrieved from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/diplomat?s=t

Laureate Education, (n.d.). Communicating with stakeholders. Retrieved from 
https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_4065699_1%26url%3D

Portny, S. E., Mantel, S. J., Meredith, J. R., Shafer, S. M., Sutton, M. M., & Kramer, B. E. (2008). Project management: Planning, scheduling, and controlling projects. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Project Management Institute, Inc. (2013). Three must-have communications skills. Retrieved from http://www.pmi.org/Professional-Development/Career-Central/3-Must-Have-Communications-Skills.aspx

Creating an Inquiry-Based Unit

The principal at our elementary school hired a consultant to work with our grade levels during a school-day workshop to learn more about creating and using inquiry-based units with our students.  During the morning session the speaker delivered some background information about inquiry-based learning and showed some examples.  After a break for lunch, each grade level was charged with creating two complete units of study for social studies or science that we would then use later in the school year.  The project timeline for the teachers included preparatory work prior to the workshop, attending the workshop and creating units, and finally the implementation of the units in our classrooms.

This project was a partial success in the sense that we developed a better understanding of inquiry-based learning.  We were not able to create two complete units, but we did get a start.  The two main reasons for this lack of success were:

• Lack of clear communication:  The literacy coach, who was the school liaison for the consultant, apparently did not explain the expectations or goals clearly to the grade levels.  The preparatory work that we completed prior to the actual meeting day to define and outline the theme for the units of study was not what the consultant was looking for and we basically had to start from scratch that afternoon.

• Lack of buy-in:  As with any type of change, there can be resistance.  Many of the teachers were less than thrilled to attend this workshop.  Using these units meant changing teaching models in the middle of the year.  There were concerns that with minimal training, teachers would not be prepared to change from a more teacher-direct approach to a student-directed approach.

Looking back at the workshop, there were some steps that the project manager (our principal) could have taken to enable her teachers to be more successful. 

• During the planning phase, the project manager (PM) ensures that the specific results to be achieved are clearly defined (Portny et al., 2008).  When determining the project scope and the objectives, I think that the goal of learning about inquiry-based classrooms AND creating two complete units of study was too aggressive and intimidating.  Prior to even attending the workshop, teachers were already overwhelmed regarding that goal.  After the workshop, teachers were left feeling that they did not accomplish the set task and now had the pressure of more work to complete on their own time to finish creating the units.

• During the initial phase of the project, the PM could have made more of an effort to create buy-in for the workshop and the teaching style changes that it necessitated.  Dr. Bligh cautions about this very idea in her video podcast, Transformational Leadership, by suggesting that one challenge is to get buy-in because change often feels imposed (Laureate Education, n.d.).  The teachers at my school did feel that this project and change was imposed on them without any input.  

• Communication is critical.  Portny et al. (2008) suggest that a common cause of project failure is poor team communications (p. 107).  Project managers should share key information with team members “in a timely fashion” (Portny et al., 2008).  More timely information from our PM and our literacy coach about the expectations, workshop agenda, preparatory work, and materials needed would have helped contribute to a more successful project experience.

We could consider this a long-term project because the initial expectations were that we would continue to use these units during subsequent school years and increasingly use an inquiry-based model rather than teacher-directed.  However, during the same year of the workshop, our principal was promoted to the district office, so we lost our PM not too long after the workshop.  In the podcast Practitioner Voices:  Barriers to Project Success, we learn about one project “headache” – when stakeholders leave or are replaced.  In this case, our PM was replaced.  What has this meant to the long-term success of these units and inquiry-based learning?  I know that my grade level has begun the shift towards more inquiry-based learning, but it has not been fully embraced.  With a new PM and lack of follow-up, the project really has fizzled.

References

Laureate Education, (n.d.). Practitioner voices: Barriers to project success. Retrieved from

https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_4065699_1%26url%3D

Laureate Education, Inc. (n.d.). Transformational Leadership. [Video Podcast]. [With Dr. Michelle Bligh].  

Portny, S. E., Mantel, S. J., Meredith, J. R., Shafer, S. M., Sutton, M. M., & Kramer, B. E. (2008). Project management: Planning, scheduling, and controlling projects. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Reflections on Distance Learning

During this course, I have stretched and grown as a learner as I work towards one of my goals - earning a Master’s degree in Instructional Design and Technology.  I, like many adult learners, seek additional distance learning opportunities to assist in advancing my career or helping me to change careers (Aslanian and Clinefelter, 2012).  Also, like many other adult learners I chose an online learning environment for the flexibility it allows in juggling work and family commitments (Cercone, 2008). Through this course, I’ve become a better researcher, and I’ve been exposed to many new technology resources.  I say ‘exposed’ because I am by no means a master.  Oftentimes when we learn something new, it causes us to realize how much we still have to learn.  Dr. Patton, in his video podcast Introduction to Research, talked about this idea of being a lifelong consumer of knowledge (Laureate Education, n.d.).  He is correct; we are always learning.  I like to consider my learning a work-in-progress because I am always learning new and better ways of achieving my objectives.  Next week I will move on to my next course in the program and hopefully next year will be able to move into a position that allows me to work in the distance education field.  As I consider my future plans, I also consider what distance education will look like in the next few years or even the next few decades.

During this course, when I interviewed several colleagues about distance learning one comment came up about perceptions of distance learning.  Is distance learning respected and valued?  Dr. Simonson suggests that with the increased use of the internet, distance education has increased in popularity and acceptance in the past decade (Laureate Education, n.d.).  In 2011, there were approximately 6.7 million college students enrolled in at least one online course with an estimate of almost 3 million students enrolled in fully online programs (Aslanian and Clinefelter, 2013).  Inside Higher Ed (2013) reports on a new Gallup poll that shows most Americans feel that online instruction “is at least as good as classroom-based courses in terms of providing value, a format most students can succeed in, and instruction tailored to each individual”.  The poll also revealed that Americans are skeptical of the rigor of testing and grading and the acceptance of online degrees by employers (Lederman, 2013).  I feel that for adult learning ( higher education and corporate training) distance learning will continue to become more accepted and its numbers will continue to grow.  Dr. Simonson gives us his prediction that higher education will continue to gradually adopt distance education technologies, but will most likely utilize hybrid courses rather than abandoning face-to-face courses (Laureate Education, n.d.).  Corporate training through distance education will continue to be embraced because of the increased return on investment to companies (Laureate Education, n.d.). 

What will it take for perceptions of distance education quality and value to improve?  Dr. Simonson suggests change agents must meet professors of higher education where they are in order to help them see the value of distance education (Laureate Education, n.d.).  The same is true in the corporate world, as instructional designers come into contact with business people that are unfamiliar with this field.  Cennamo and Kalk (2005) reported that the instructional design field is relatively young and can be misunderstood, so instructional designers must serve as ambassadors to promote the value of ID.  Personally, I plan to seek employment in the field of instructional design.  Through consistently strong work ethics, creating engaging and effective distance learning modules, this will help to promote the value of instructional design.  Cennamo and Kalk (2005) say it this way, “ultimately, what wins adherents to instructional design is the quality of your work”.  As more quality distance instruction is created and more competent graduates continue to complete online degrees, the perception and value of online learning will grow and strengthen.

What challenges do I face ahead?  My plan is to gain employment either as a distance education instructor or instructional designer or a position that does both, hopefully through the online campus distance learning option in my county school district.  When I entered graduate school (bricks-and-mortar) 11 years ago to earn my teaching certification, I was getting ready to begin a brand new career.  With a B.A. in Business Administration and 15 years business experience, being in a classroom armed only with a teaching certificate and a semester of student teaching, there was a huge learning curve.  It is intimidating to think of switching gears after nine years of elementary classroom teaching to consider training adults or designing instruction using theory and experience gained through taking ten courses to earn a master’s degree.  I know that there will be another huge learning curve ahead of me.  I know that it will take time, mistakes made, learning from others around me, and trial by fire to grow and improve as an instructional designer or distance learning professional. 

How can I prove a positive force in the field of distance education?  As a graduate of online learning and someone working in that field, I will have the opportunity to serve as an advocate of distance learning and instructional design.  The more people that speak up about positive distance learning experiences and demonstrate their learning through quality work, the more perceptions of online learning will continue to improve and become more widely accepted. 

References

Aslanian, C. B., & Clinefelter, D. L. (2012). Online college students 2012:

Comprehensive data on demands and preferences. Louisville, KY: The Learning House, Inc.

Aslanian, C.B., & Clinefelter, D.L. (2013) Online college students 2013: Comprehensive

            data on demands and preferences. Louisville, KY: The Learning House, Inc.

Cennamo, K. & Kalk, D. (2005). “The professional designer”. Real world instructional

            Design. Cengage Learning.

Cercone, K. (2008). Characteristics of adult learners with implications for online learning

design, AACE Journal, 16(2), 137-159.

Patton, M. (n.d.). Introduction to research. Lecture presented for Laureate Education,

Inc. Retrieved July 2, 2013 from https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_3398790_1%26url%3D

Simonson, M. (n.d.). Distance education: The next generation. Lecture presented for

Laureate Education, Inc. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_3467554_1%26url%3D

Lederman, D. (2013, October 15). American adults see online courses as at least

equivalent in most ways. Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved from http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/10/15/american-adults-see-online-courses-least-equivalent-most-ways

Simonson, M. (n.d.). Distance education: Higher education, K-12, and the corporate

world. Lecture presented for Laureate Education, Inc. Retrieved from http://mym.cdn.laureate-media.com/Walden/EIDT/6100/CH/mm/eidt6100_instructionaldesign.html

Converting to a Blended Learning Format

 

Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, and Zvacek (2011) report that according to the literature, distance education works.  If you are a training manager frustrated with the communication occurring among trainees in face-to-face sessions, why not consider changing the instruction format?  Blended courses combine distance learning and face-to-face content delivery with 30% to 79% of the content delivered online (Simonson et al., 2011).  Considering the principles of andragogy, adult learners are independent and can direct their own learning (Conlan, Gabowski, and Smith, 2003).  With adults busy and pressured by work and personal demands, the flexibility of offering a portion of the training online could benefit the employees.  Learners would be free to access the resources and assignments when it best suits their schedule.  All of these considerations would be part of the delivery analysis completed to determine the appropriateness of a blended format given the training course constraints (Laureate Education, n.d.).

 

Click on the link to learn more about converting a face-to-face course to a blended format including:

• Pre-planning Strategies
• Enhancements of the Original Training Program
• Role of the Trainer in a Distance Education Setting
• Communication Online
• Checklist for Converting to a Blended Environment
• Sources

 

 Link to Converting to a Blended Environment

 

 

References

 

Conlan, J., Gabowski, S., & Smith, K. (2003). Adult learning. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retreived from http://projects.coes.uga.edu/epltt/

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (n.d.). Delivery analysis. [Video Podcast]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_3467554_1%26url%3D

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2011). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (5th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.

 

Image courtesy of altrapoint.com

Open Course Websites

As we journey through this course into the world of distance learning and learning theories, we paused this week to explore open course websites.  Open, meaning free!  According to Educational-Freeware.com the availability of open courses is a “new movement among academic communities where schools from around the world are providing free lectures, lessons, and other learning materials at absolutely no cost”.  Many universities, including Yale, Harvard, MIT, and Penn are offering open courses.  Stephen Colbert, on the Colbert Report, with his usual humor explores this idea of open courses as he ponders why universities would give knowledge away for free (Inside Higher Ed, 2013).  Colbert’s guest Anant Agarwal is the president of edX, a major provider of open courses.  When asked why universities would offer free courses, Agarwal simply responds that an educated world is a better world. 

Adult Learning Theory – Andragogy

How does this idea of open course websites fit with adult learning theory?  Malcolm Knowles, the “father” of andragogy, laid out principles or factors that describe adult learning (Conlan, Grabowski, and Smith, 2003).  These principles describe adult learners as someone who:

1.  “Has an independent self-concept and who can direct his or her own learning”

·        Distance learning, where the learner and instructor can be separated by space and time is an appropriate environment for independent learners.

·        Open courseware where learners are free to choose from many different universities and many different topics is also a learning environment that fits learners who are independent and capable of directing their own learning.

2.  “Has accumulated a reservoir of life experiences that is a rich resource for learning”

·        Adult learners can use their prior experiences to assist them in choosing and completing open courseware.  Their background knowledge will help them learn in this independent environment.

3.  “Has learning needs closely related to changing social roles”

·        With the variety of open courseware available on the internet, as adult learners’ needs change, they can choose topics that best suit their needs.

4.  “Is problem-centered and interested in immediate application of knowledge”

·        Another characteristic of adult learners is that they want to know the “reason for learning something, and learning should be applicable to work or home” (Cercone, 2008).

Open Course Example

Let’s take a closer look at one example of open courseware from Hillsdale College.  I chose this example of open courseware because my husband, an avid history reader, has taken several of the Hillsdale courses and has enjoyed the format and the learning.  Hillsdale offers free, not-for-credit online versions of some of its core curriculum with a focus on history, economics, and the Constitution.  The courses appear to be well thought-out and organized in their design.  All of the courses follow the same format:  video lecture series featuring different speakers, course readings available online and containing primary documents, study guide to summarize learning, quizzes, asynchronous discussion board, and a prerecorded question and answer session where students have previously submitted questions via the discussion board.  While the courses are free, students must create a login to participate and there is a message that pops up asking learners to contribute a donation to the college to support online learning.

These courses are definitely most appropriate for the independent, highly motivated, and self-directed learner (Cercone, 2008).   There is not an instructor assigned to the course, however the lecturers do participate in the discussion board.  Also, because these courses have very specific topics, there would be a smaller target audience of learners who have a strong desire to learn about these issues.  The discussion board is not a requirement, so there does not seem to be the rich conversations that we engage in through our required Walden discussions.  The courses do not have a wide variety of learning experiences, but the format allows students to work at their own pace, material is available in audio formats as well as video, the platform is simple to use, and there is an opportunity for interactivity through the discussion board (Simonson et al., 2011). 

I would not term the Hillsdale courses as “shovelware” because it seems that someone informed about distance learning theories took time to organize and plan the classes for the eLearning environment (Simonson et al., 2011).  I am interested to see where open courseware will take us in the next ten years.  I’m curious to see what impact the availability of this instructional content will have on the face of distance learning.

References

Cercone, K. (2008). Characteristics of adult learners with implications for online learning design, AACE Journal, 16(2), 137-159. 

Conlan, J., Grabowski, S., & Smith, K., (2003). Adult Learning. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/

Educational Freeware. Retrived from http://www.educational-freeware.com/news/opencourseware.aspx

Hillsdale College Online Courses Retrieved from http://online.hillsdale.edu/home

Inside Higher Ed. (2013) Colbert report explains moocs. Retrieved from http://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2013/07/26/colbert-report-explains-moocs#ixzz2gbouOJq1

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning at a distance

Foundations of distance education (5th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.