Distance Learning: A Reflection

Distance Education: A Reflection

An important lesson that history has taught us is: learn from it. The past of distance education shows that many people have looked down upon it with disdain for various reasons. In the 1970s a British Conservative Minister of Parliament called the Open University "blithering nonsense” (Open University, n.d). Margaret Thatcher herself initially asked the founders how they could justify “spending so much money in order to satisfy the hobbies of housewives” (Open University, n.d). Illinois Wesleyan’s correspondence course offered bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees but “concerns about the quality of the program prompted a recommendation that it be terminated by 1906” (Simonson et al, 2012, p.38). This stigma that distance education is for non-committed procrastinators and that it is a less than a rigorous option, compared to a traditional education, is something that needs to be addressed and changed. Although Siemen’s (n,d) states that distance education “is really growing acceptance in society as a whole”, there is still a long way to go.

The Current State of Distance Learning

There are five trends that impact instructional design:

1) Quality

2) Needs assessment, ROI and measurement of outcomes

3) The influence and fusion of training, performance support, and knowledge management

4) The need for better instructional systems design (ISD) Methodologies

5) The revision of learning models.

These five factors are very important as they “will affect dramatically the evolution of ID as a field – and the effect may be a more be transformative one” (Moller et al, 2008, p.71).  Each one of these is important and could be discussed at length; I will discuss the ones that are a priority.  

Quality

One of the most important aspects of making distance education as a more acceptable form of education is to ensure that the quality of the education and training is carefully monitored. Many skeptics of distance education often use the low quality and questionable rigor as their reason for their perception of distance education. In distance education the curriculum must be as rigorous as a traditional education and “have the same learning outcomes and equivalent experiences” so that learning is just as effective (Simonson, 2012) When education and training is produced that does not take this into account, the result is low quality education and training and a distrust of distance education; “poor quality hurts everyone in e-learning” (Moller et al, 2008, p.74).  For instructional designers to create effective learning they must have a good understanding of the different distant learning theories and how each one can impact the course creation and the learners. To select the appropriate theory, the designer must know the goal of the course and understand the needs of the learner. For example an instructional designer creating 10^th grade blended learning English class and an online graduate English class will use very different theories to create each one as the needs of the learners will be very different. Moreover, the learners should always be aware of what theories were used to create their training or education so that “they can recognize the relative value of one school of learning theory over another” which accustoms them to being able to “discriminate between well designed and poorly designed e-learning” (Moller et al, 2008, p.71).

The Revision of Learning Models

Distance education “allows for learning strategies that may not be possible in a classroom or other traditional environments” (Moller et al, 2008, p.74). In the past, distance learning has been seen as a “delivery medium” (Moller et al, 2012, 2008, p.74) with very often technology being used to “deliver” the instruction. With the advent of new technologies and methods of communication, instructional designers need to ensure that distance education changes “from its current status as a delivery medium to a learning model” (Moller et al, 2012, p. 2008). Merely dumping face to face content onto the web will not achieve this vision (Moller et al, 2008). The instructional designer needs to first reexamine the “learning process” and then needs to reexamine “what constitutes instruction” (Moller et al, 2008, p.74). In the traditional model of learning, learners are “able only to interact with the content and/ or the instructor, but not each other” (Moller et al, 2008, p.74). Critics may say that people have been learning in this manner for thousands of years and the method has produced some of history’s most prominent figures; why is there a need for a change? The answer is the advent of technology.

“He who rejects change is the architect of decay. The only human institution which rejects progress is the cemetery.” – Harold Wilson

The advent of technology, and in recent years the giant strides human kind has made in terms of communication, has made the “world flat” (Friedman, n.d). Technology has been the biggest contributor to globalization and due to this we are now able to communicate and contact people around the world instantly.  It is this form of two way communication that is transforming distance education from a “delivery medium to a learning model” (Moller et al, 2008, p.74).While distance education still makes use of traditional learning theories such as Behaviorism, Cognitivism and Constructivism, it has created theories that are unique to this field. Distance learning theories such as Wedemeyer, Moore, Peters, Holmberg, Perraton, Simonson, Keegan and Peters’ all provide sound ways of creating distance learning. Each one provides its unique perspective on the important factors in distance learning. Each one, however, places importance on communication; “significant learning often occurs as the result of learner to learner communication. Logically meaningful learning is more likely to occur when learners have access to a supportive community that encourages knowledge building and social reinforcement (Moller, 1998)” (Moller et al, 2008, p.74). It is on this basis that instructional designers need to create instruction. According to Siemens (n.d) society has started to accept distance learning due to more and more people communicating online. He predicts a triple helix model of education where universities, Government and businesses interact to provide and equip students for online learning (Siemens, 2012). He sees an increased global contribution, use of multimedia games and simulations in the learning environment; every one of these will allow learners to interact with the each other and the content. This new type of learning model has its tenets in Connectivism.  While many dispute whether it can be called a theory, it certainly provides a framework that supports the development of distance education.  The principles of Connectivism include:

• Learning and knowledge rests in diversity of opinions. Instructional designers need to ensure that learners are engaging in dialog and are able to see knowledge from multiple perspectives.
• Learning is a process of connecting specialized nodes or information sources. Instructional designers can help learners create blogs and wikis that learners consult and learn from.
• Learning may reside in non-human appliances. Instructional designers can create multimedia programs that employ this principle, where students are able to control the pace of their learning.
• Capacity to know more is more critical than what is currently known
• Nurturing and maintaining connections is needed to facilitate continual learning.
• Ability to see connections between fields, ideas, and concepts is a core skill.
• Currency (accurate, up-to-date knowledge) is the intent of all connectivist learning activities.
• Decision-making is itself a learning process. Choosing what to learn and the meaning of incoming information is seen through the lens of a shifting reality. While there is a right answer now, it may be wrong tomorrow due to alterations in the information climate affecting the decision.

(Siemens, n.d)

As technology develops so should the learning models. In this way the instructional designers can ensure that the training and education is effective and meets the needs of the learner.

The Role of Technology

The best tool that instructional designers have is technology. Technology allows instructional to go beyond the confinements of a brick and mortar classroom; it allows people in different countries to connect and learn from each other; it allows learner independence and independent study systems (Wedemeyer ,1981 as cited by Simonson et al, 2012, p.44). Distance learning should:

1)              Be capable of operation anyplace 

2)              Place greater responsibility of learning on the student 

3)              Offer students and adults wider choices (more opportunities) in course, formats, and methodologies 

4)              Preserve and enhance opportunities for adaptation to individual differences 

5)              Permit students to start, stop, and learn at their own pace 

6)              The normal process of teaching and learning are carried out in writing or through some other medium 

7)              Teaching is individualized 

8)              Learning takes place through the student’s activity 

9)              The learner takes responsibility for the pace of his or her own progress

(Wedemeyer ,1981 as cited by Simonson et al, 2012, p.44)

Technology plays a very important role and so the instructional designer must consider how technology will be used in making learning more successful. Wedemeyer (1981) suggests the instructional designer should “mix media and methods so that each subject or unit within a subject is taught in the best way known” (Wedemeyer as cited by Simonson et al, 2012, p.44). 

The Instructional Designer as an agent of Social Change

“I am a survivor of a concentration camp. My eyes saw what no person should witness. Gas chambers built by learned engineers. Children poisoned by educated physicians. Infants killed by trained nurses. Women and babies shot and burned by high school and college graduates. So I am suspicious of education.

My request is: help your students become more human. Your efforts must never produce learned monsters, skilled psychopaths, or educated Eichmanns. Reading, writing, and arithmetic are important only if they serve to make our children more human” (Ginott, as cited by Coloroso, 2007)

This week I attended a conference on bullying at Houston’s Holocaust museum and found it to be a humbling experience. As instructional designer’s what we create in terms of education and training will influence many people and so to a large extent we are responsible for the type of people we create from them. We have an ethical responsibility to ensure that our created courses are not misused to cause harm to humanity in anyway. Ibstpi, (n,d) in its codes of ethics for instructional designers, states three very important standards under ‘Responsibility to society:’

            [instructional designer’s should]

1. Support humane, socially responsible goals and projects for the organization.
2. Ensure that training products and procedures reflect moral and ethical positions on societal issues.
3. Consider the consequences of proposed solutions upon individuals, organizations, and the society as a whole.

One of the most important goals of any instructional designer’s project should be finding ways to ensure that the learners do not become victims or perpetrators of cyber bullying or terrorism. With new technology come new problems and new responsibilities and this falls within the jurisdiction of both the instructional designer and facilitator. The designer should ensure that an opportunity to misuse technology and learning does not arise, and if it does the facilitator is trained in identifying it and also knows the protocols for dealing with it.  There are many misconceptions about cyber bullying including that it only happens with young children. This is a myth, as cyber bullying happens to adults and can affect all aspects of life (Itson, n.d). The statistics for cyber bullying are alarming and not to be taken lightly. One of the important tasks of the instructional designer is to ensure that the learners become good digital citizens (Common Sense, n.d) that they learn how to behave in an online environment and how to stay safe.

Coloroso (2007) in her book “Extraordinary Evil: a short walk to Genocide’ states how bullying, can lead to hate crimes and then genocide. Her point is that journey between these is very short. As instructional designers, it is our duty to ensure that the learners that pass through our education system and training courses do not learn skills that can in anyway hurt humanity. In our effort to create effective learning we must not forget the goal of education which to create better human beings, to create productive citizens of our countries, of global economies and ultimately of humanity.

The Future of Distance Education

            Since technology is constantly improving and the field of instructional design is gaining interests from businesses and educational institution, learning is going to be more distributed than ever (Siemens, 2012). There will more global interactions and it will not be unusual for businesses to have offices around the world and educational institutions to have campuses in different countries (Siemens, 2012). Distance learning will be used to address global issues and diverse teams will look for solutions through this format.  In K-12 there will also be an increase; it is predicted “by 2019, 50 percent of all high school courses will be delivered online” (Horn & Staker, n.d). In order to meet the demands of these quick changes, businesses and educational institutions will have to ensure that instructional designer are employed (Moller et al, 2008) to ensure that the learning that is created is based in distance learning theory and utilizes technology to its full potential.

A Personal Reflection

            I have come to appreciate the role a good instructional designer can have in creating effective learning. I have developed an understanding of the skills an instructional designer requires to meet the needs of the learner. I have practiced creating an orientation course and have gained insight into the research process that governs every decision. I hope to use this knowledge to improve my role in the classroom as a teacher and future make changes to methods used in our district.

References

Coloroso, B. (2007). Extraordinary evil: a short walk to genocide. New York: Nation Books.

Common Sense Media: Reviews and Ratings for Family Movies, TV Shows, Websites, Video Games, Books and Music. (n.d.). Reviews and Ratings for Family Movies, TV Shows, Websites, Video Games, Books and Music. Retrieved April 18, 2012, from http://www.commonsensemedia.org/

Friedman, T. (2005, April 3). It's a flat world, after all. The New York Times. Retrieved June 20, 2009 from http://www.nytimes.com 

History of the OU | About the OU | Open University. (n.d.). Distance Learning Courses and Adult Education - The Open University. Retrieved April 18, 2012, from http://www8.open.ac.uk/about/main/the-ou-explained/history-the-ou

Horn, M. B., & Staker, H. (n.d.). The rise of K-12 blended learning | Innosight Institute. Innosight Institute. Retrieved April 21, 2012, from http://www.innosightinstitute.org/media-room/publications/education-publications/the-rise-of-k-12-blended-learning/

Huett, J., Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Coleman, C. (2008). The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the web (Part 3: K12). TechTrends, 52(5), 63–67.

IBSTPI. (n.d.). Welcome to IBSTPI. Retrieved April 18, 2012, from http://www.ibstpi.org/Competencies/codesofethicalstandards.htm

Itson, C. (n.d.). Adult Cyberbullying. OvercomeBullying.org :: Workplace Bullying, School Bullying and Mobbing Resources :: Speak Out Now. Retrieved April 18, 2012, from http://www.overcomebullying.org/cyberbullying.html

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2012). Theory and Distance Learning [DVD]. Distance Education. Baltimore, MD: Saba & Simonson. Retrieved from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=6493362&Survey=1&47=8965507&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=1&bhcp=1

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2012). The Future of Distance Education [DVD]. Distance Education. Baltimore, MD: Siemens. Retrieved April 15, 2011, from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=6493362&Survey=1&47=8965507&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=1&bhcp=1

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.

Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Huett, J. (2008). The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the web (Part 1: Training and development). TechTrends, 52(3), 70–75.

Siemens, G. (n.d.). elearnspace. Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age. elearnspace. everything elearning.. Retrieved February 27, 2012, from http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.htm

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