My Definition of Distance Education Expands

 

Distance Education – What’s Your Definition?

This week we began a journey to broaden our understanding of distance learning.  Prior to beginning this course, I had a narrow definition of distance learning.  I thought of distance learning as what I’m doing here at Walden, sitting home alone with my laptop, reading support material (articles, books, and videos), learning through discussion postings from my instructors and colleagues, writing lots of papers, and completing projects.  Basically, I thought of distance learning as learning online, separated by time and space from your instructor and classmates.

Last night I had an “ah-ha” moment.  Part of our family routine is discussing what happens during our day, so we often engage in conversations about what I’m learning in school, just as we discuss what my sons are learning in high school.  My husband and I were reminiscing about a course we had as undergrads (we met in college).  I realized that I had actually taken part in on-site distance learning in the 1980s!  My husband and I were both enrolled in an Accounting 101 class where we sat in a classroom with other students and a teacher’s assistant (TA) and watched on a television set as the professor taught accounting.  There were similar classrooms spread over the campus.  If a student had a question, he/she would let the TA know and the TA would press some button to let the professor know there was a question.  We both remember it as an awful learning experience; the professor was unengaging, and there was definitely a feeling of disconnect. 

Fast forward to the new millennium.  I realize that I’ve also taken part in distance learning through my school district, such as watching videos online to fulfill yearly ethics and abuse training requirements.  The school district has conveniently added these videos to our “teacher portal” so that we now have the opportunity to view these at home (on our own time).  Part of my staff development this summer for the first time took place online through a live webinar training to introduce a new computer program purchased by the district.  I’ve actually had more distance learning experience than I thought.

After much reading and reflecting, my thinking about distance learning after week one has already broadened and deepened, and so, my definition has changed.  Distance learning isn’t just about being online and it isn’t just about the learner.  Historically, distance learning dates back much further than the 1980s.  I was surprised to read about distance learning in the past, including the University of Wisconsin’s correspondence program which began back in the late 1880s (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, and Zvacek, 2012).  Even earlier, European newspapers began offering courses through mail as early as 1833 (Laureate Education, n.d.). 

Dr. Simonson offers us a definition of distance education, as opposed to the term distance learning, so that it encompasses both the distance teaching and distance learning (Laureate Education, n.d.).  He states that distance education is formal education in which the learning group (teacher, students, resources) is separated by geography and, sometimes, by time with technology sources linking the learning group for the purposes of teaching and learning (Laureate Education, n.d.).  I prefer this term distance education because it is more than just the learner; we have to consider the institutions, instructors, and instructional designers involved in the teaching and learning.  Dr. Simonson also suggests that distance education is not going to replace our traditional brick and mortar K-12 and higher education institutions (Laureate Education, n.d.).  I agree that our established schools are not going to disappear over time, but rather distance education will continue to grow and play a larger role in education:  K-12, higher education, and corporate education.

So, where does that leave an instructional designer-in-training?  Moller, Foshay, and Huett (2008) suggest that “the challenge for ID professionals is not only to evolve the field (distance learning), but also to assure that the products of sound professional design practice lead the e-learning enterprise”.  The authors go further to state that ID professionals should be at the forefront of the evolution of distance education (corporate, K-12, and higher education) to promote the development of “cost-effect models and tools for distance education” (Moller, Foshay, and Huett, 2008).  One reason that I chose this master’s program in instructional design over a more traditional education master’s program, such as assessment or special education, was I do see continued growth and acceptance of distance education.  I see this evolution of education melded with technology as an opportunity to reach more learners in new and exciting ways, some of which haven’t even been thought of yet.

References

Laureate Education, n.d. Distance Learning Timeline Continuum. 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.

Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Huett, J. (2008). The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the web (Part 2: Higher education). TechTrends, 52(4), 66-70.

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
Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (5th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.