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.