As I sit here at my
computer and contemplate my assignment to consider the future of distance
education, I can't help but think of my grandmother. My sister and I are the fourth generation of
teachers in our family. Our grandmother
was a teacher for thirty years, and easily had the greatest influence on both
of us deciding to become educators.
Truth be told as I would go to my grandma's classroom and help her
decorate or clean, or whatever she needed, I really couldn't imagine myself
being anything else. I loved her
classroom, and I wanted one just like hers.
My grandmother's very first teaching job was in a one-room schoolhouse
that served the farm kids of southern Michigan.
She was teacher, custodian, woodchopper, school nurse, and
principal. For her, distance education
meant the number of miles students would walk in order to get to school. I often wonder what she would think of
education today. What would her thoughts
be on the subject of distance education and its future?
I had an excellent opportunity this week to explore the
question of the future of distance education with some of my fellow teachers,
and when I reflect on that conversation, I realize though distance education
has a bright future, there is much that will need to change in terms of
perceptions as to its validity, improvement in design, and implementation that
can reach into every level of education.
Distance education is not a new concept. There has been some form of distance
education for well over a century (Tracey, & Richey, 2005). However, distance education has seen
incredible growth over the past several years due to advances in technology (Tracey,
& Richey, 2005). These advances in
technology have led to greater awareness and acceptance of degrees and
achievements gained because of distance learning. Reasons beyond awareness for this greater
acceptance include, a greater number of people having experiences with distance
education (Siemens, n.d.), greater practical experience with technology
commonly used in the practice of distance education (Siemens, n.d.), expanded
ideas of how people can interact and increase discourse using advanced technology
(Siemens, n.d.), and a greater understanding in the private sector as to the
cost benefits of increasing communication world-wide without having to increase
travel budgets (Siemens, n.d.). As
technology continues to quickly advance, it would be practical to think
distance education will gain even more acceptance in the very near future, and
may one day be thought of with equal reverence as traditional face-to-face
education.
There are those who feel distance education can never be
as effective as a traditional face-to-face learning environment. Opponents of distance education point to
studies that show high incompletion rates in distance education (Larson,
2011). Others point to qualitative data
that documents student dissatisfaction with distance education due to a lack of
interaction with instructors and fellow classmates (Simonson, Smaldino,
Albright, & Zvacek, 2012). Granted,
there is much in distance education that is still a work in progress. For instance, distance education is seen by some
as a cure all for every ill in education.
Unfortunately, those who make policy in education are implementing
programs in distance education without really understanding the theory behind
sound distance learning practice (Huett, Moller, Foshay, & Coleman,
2008).
With colleges and universities racing to become a part of
the trend toward distance education, some have taken short cuts when it comes
to developing their distance programs (Moller, Foshay, Huett, 2008). They have relied on faculty and staff to use
a craft approach to developing distance programs (Moller, et al, 2008). Unfortunately, this craft approach lacks
effective application of distance theory (Moller, et al, 2008). If distance education is to reach its full
potential, it must be designed by those with a strong knowledge base in
distance learning theory and instructional design for distance education in
combination with subject matter experts.
The role of the instructional designer in the acceptance of distance
education cannot be overlooked. Distance
education that is created with the principles of systematic well planned design,
implementation and evaluation will be the difference in the success of online
education. It will be instructional designers
who help subject matter experts and instructors make better decisions about
content and delivery methods (Simonson, et al, 2012). With better practices in place, learner satisfaction
and outcomes from distance education will improve.
As distance education continues to grow, it would seem that
its potential and impact on education will be immense (Beldarrain, 2006). The emergence of new technologies coupled with
growing positive perceptions will bring about disruptive change in education (Grush,
2012). As an instructional designer in distance
education, it will be my job to ensure the change is brought about in ways that
will ensure best practices. The result of
this theory driven systematic approach to design will be positive, effective distance
learning experiences for instructors and learners.
References
Beldarrain, Y. (2006). Distance education
trends: Integrating new technologies to foster
student
interaction and collaboration. Distance Education,
27(2) 139-153.
Grush, M. (2010, May 26). Josh Baron on education technology and disruptive
change.
Retrieved from http://campustechnology.com/Articles/2010/05/26/Josh-Baron-on-
Education-Technology-and-Disruptive-Change.aspx?Page=1.
Huett, J., Moller, L., Foshay, W., &
Coleman. (2008). The evolution of
distance education:
Implications for
instructional design on the potential of the web (Part 3:K12). Tech
Trends, 52(5), 63-67.
Moller, L., Fshay, W., & Guett, J.
(2008). The evolution of distance education: Implications
for
instructional design on the potential of the web (Part 2: Higher Education). Tech
Trends 52(4), 66-70.
Siemens, G. (Writer) (n.d.) The future of distance education [Web]. Retrieved from http://
sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=6493362&Survey=1&47=
8884161&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=1&bhcp=1.
Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning at a distance:
Foundations of distance education (5th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.
Tracey, M., Richey, R. (2005). The evolution of distance education. Distance Learning 2(6),
17-21
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