The Future of Distance Learning

Week 8 Blog Post: Reflection
The Future of Distance Learning
James Landon

Distance Learning will continue to evolve as technology advances and the Internet continues to grow. Over the next two decades, I believe online learning will continue to grow in use and popularity at all levels and in all areas. Borden (2011) explains that a paradigm shift in technology has “made advanced education more accessible to current and potential students, driving increased demand for online learning opportunities.” This explains why a 2010 Sloan Survey of Online Learning shows a steady increase in annual enrollment in online learning courses and that nearly 30 percent of all post-secondary students take at least one course online (Borden, 2011).

As online learning becomes more common and mainstream, the common societal perceptions of distance learning will continue to improve. There are several ways instructional designers (ID’s) should speak out for improvement of these views and of overall improvement in the field of distance education.  First, ID’s should be aware of these negative views and be able to engage in meaningful discourse by providing data and research that provides clear alternatives and advantages. Second, ID’s should highlight successful cases and remain engaged in current research that shows effective design and development strategies and methods. Third, ID’s need to be involved in effective evaluation methods of distance learning programs to determine the best ways to improve instruction by utilizing advanced technology and innovative ideas in instructional theory and methods.

A number of perceptions of distance and online learning have developed over the last few decades, many of them negative. These perceptions range from a lack of face-to-face social interaction among students and with the instructor to a lack of instructor training and resistance to change to technology limitations. First, one of the most common perceived disadvantages is the lack of social interaction including a “risk of isolation and stunted social development” (Marius, 2011).  Kolko (2012) describes several social and emotional problems with online learning, including little qualitative responses, no immediate “talk-back”, shallow discussion forums, little Socratic learning, no sense of emotional progress, and lack of peer-to-peer learning. Kolko (2012), Marius (2011), and the Illinois Online Nework (2011) all list a number of other perceived disadvantages such as online distractions, technology limitations, ineffective assessment and accountability measures, and instructors who are resistant to change and who use inappropriate instructional strategies.

Instructional designers should be instrumental in publicizing current research and effective examples that show successful programs do exist if designed and implemented correctly. Simonson, Smaldino, Albright & Zvacek (2012) describe numerous distance learning theories along with examples of projects that have worked. They also provide a prescription for designing and developing online learning programs using instructional strategies that maximize collaboration and engagement among students and the instructor. They provide guidance for choosing technologies and course management systems that include features that maximize quality interaction and include project-based assessments that have proven to effectively measure learning. In addition, Borden (2011) and Simonson et al. (2012) all describe the importance of Web 2.0 collaboration tools such as social networking, video conferencing, wikis, blogs, chat, and many others.  Instructional designers should be aware of these tools and develop programs that utilize them, based on solid research that shows they are successful.

Evaluating online learning should be a high priority to dissipate the negative perceptions and continue to improve the quality of distance education. Institution accreditation and a creation of industry quality standards are some ways this can be accomplished. Borden (2011) writes about the importance of a “universal standard of quality” and explains that “advocacy groups and students are calling for greater accountability measures.”  As an instructional designer, I will continue to advocate for universal standards for online post-secondary institutions as well as K-12 programs, corporate training, and government training programs.  Finally, high quality, thorough, and continuous evaluations of distance education programs will provide data and analysis that will continue to show the most successful technology, instructional methods, and design and development strategies. I will be a strong proponent of the improvement of online learning projects based on program evaluations, experience gained in this class, and the unwavering search for what works in distance learning.

References

Borden, J. (2011, August). The future of online learning. eLearn Magazine. Retrieved from: http://elearnmag.acm.org/archive.cfm?aid=2024704

Illinois Online Network. (2012). Weaknesses of online learning. Retrieved from the University of Illinois website: http://www.ion.uillinois.edu/resources/tutorials/overview/weaknesses.asp

Kolko, J. (2012, June 18). Problems with online learning. [Blog message]. Retrieved from the Austin Center for Design website: http://www.ac4d.com/2012/06/18/problems-with-online-learning/

Marius, M. (2011, November 4). 4 critical unresolved issues of online learning. [blog message]. Retrieved from the ICT Pulse – ICT Issues from a Caribbean Perspective website:
http://www.ict-pulse.com/2011/11/4-critical-unresolved-issues-of-online-learning/?doing_wp_cron=1351395304.2725439071655273437500

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

Best Practices Guide for Designing Hybrid Distance Education Courses

Week 7 - Application Assignment

Best Practices Guide for Designing Hybrid Distance Education Courses

James Landon

This guide is designed for trainers and instructional designers as they transition from traditional face-to-face training modules to an online hybrid or blended distance learning environment. The information in this document will provide best practices to guide instructors through the planning, design, and implementation phases of the transition. It includes pre-planning strategies, enhancing with online activities, description of the role of the instructor, and strategies to encourage online communication.

Click here for the Guide!

Open Course Analysis

Week 5 Blog Post: Open Course Analysis
Open Yale Courses: Listening to Music
James Landon

Open courses are free online distance learning courses of study that provide post-secondary learning opportunities to people around the world. Many very prominent and prestigious universities provide course materials such as “lectures, tests, notes, and readings available for free on the Internet” (Education Insider, 2012). These course offerings are usually provided with little or no registration and do not offer college credit. However, many are comprehensive and include lectures, media, quizzes, exams, and assignments (Education Insider, 2012)

Among the many universities and courses available, I choose the course titled “Listening to Music” (MUSI 112) from Yale University and taught by Professor Craig Wright (http://oyc.yale.edu/music/musi-112#overview) to review and analyze (Listening to Music, 2012). This course has some positive aspects that align with best practices in distance learning. However, there are a number of drawbacks that would require extensive changes to provide a thoroughly interactive and engaging instructional environment.

Planning

“Listening to Music” from is one of several courses offered through the Open Yale Courses program at Yale University. Open Yale Courses provide “lectures and other materials from selected Yale College courses to the public free of charge via the Internet” and the courses span a full range of subject areas (About OYC, 2012). The structure and layout of the courses through this program are consistent with effective principles of design as described by Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek (2012). The layout of the pages in the course is clear, the font is appropriate, images relate to the content, and the color scheme is effective.

The content is provided in a way that is easy to find and readily accessible. This course provides multiple sessions, each with high-quality video of recorded lectures, transcripts of the videos, suggested readings and assignments, and supplemental course materials. All of this course content material is easily accessible through a basic Internet browser with no registration, login, or software download required.

Finally, this seems to be carefully planned out and designed for a distance learning environment. However, the planning appears to target a large global audience with wide range of abilities. Simonson et al. (2012) describe a number of ways to engage distance learners through the planning of activities that encourage group work and interactivity to construct a “supportive social environment” (p. 153).  It looks like very little planning was based on an analysis of the learners’ needs and these principles to provide an engaging learning environment.

Online Instruction and Course Activities

This course does provide a great deal of resources and information online to a large global audience with no charge, no registration, and very few restrictions. However, this course includes very few effective instructional and pedagogical activities to maximize active learning.

This course consists of twenty-three online sessions. Each session consists of an overview, a list of resources, a suggested assignment, and a video, audio, and transcript of a lecture that averages 45-55 minutes. The lectures are simply a video recording of a professor conducting a lecture-style presentation in a large hall with many students. All exams and assignments are self-conducted and self-graded. No materials are submitted by the distance learner to the university and the student is not provided with any opportunities to communicate with other students, faculty, or support staff. The material is simply provided online for consumption.

There are some positive aspects of this type of delivery. According to Comier & Siemens (2010), this type of a format is a chance for “faculty to take their work to a new audience” and open up academies through “lectures and learning” via video and television. In addition, this format provides learning that is completely self-directed. Simonson et al. (2012) maintain that one of the main characteristics of distance learners is that they are self-motivated and that they “want and deserve to have as much control of the pace of learning as possible” (p. 176). This course has no beginning or end date and learners proceed through the course at their own pace.

The negative aspects of this type of delivery far outweigh the positives. This course provides no opportunity for peer-peer interaction or student-teacher communication. Simonson et al. (2012) and Comier & Siemens (2010) are among a large number of sources maintaining that effective instruction must consist of learner interaction and instructor two-way communication including feedback to the learner. Web 2.0 technologies such as wiki’s, discussion boards, chat, and group projects should be utilized. “Quality distance learning programs are participatory in that they emphasize the involvement of the learner in all facets of the program development and delivery” (Simonson et al., 2012, p. 173).

Finally, the media elements of this course are not engaging or interactive. The lecture videos can be paused and the user can go forward and back as needed. Also, the audio including musical examples are a very high quality. However, the supplemental visual resources in this course simply include the whiteboard or overhead projector the professor is using during the lecture. Simonson et al. (2012) describe a number of interactive supplemental media that can be utilized including an interactive study guide, calling the ISG an “essential tool of the distance educator” (p. 244). Unfortunately, this course does not implement course activities or elements that provide any opportunity for active learning.

This is a good start to providing accessible resources and information to a broad audience, however many changes will need to be implemented to provide an effective instructional environment through deep interactive engagement with the course material as well as the instructor and other students.

References

About OYC. (2012). About Open Yale Courses. Retrieved from the Open Yale Courses website: http://oyc.yale.edu/about

Cormier, D. & Siemens, G. (2010, August 5). Through the open door: Open courses as research, learning, and engagement. Educause Review, 45(4), 30-39. Retrieved from: http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ERM1042.pdf

Education Insider. (2012). Colleges and universities that offer free courses online. Retrieved from the Education-Portal website: http://education-portal.com/articles/Colleges_and_Universities_that_Offer_Free_Courses_Online.html

Listening to Music. (2012). Music 112: Listening to music. Retrieved from the Open Yale Courses website: http://oyc.yale.edu/music/musi-112#overview

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