Defining Distance Learning

When I began this course I would say that I would have defined distance learning in a very broad sense. I would have defined it as learning that does not take place in the typical classroom setting, yet given through online, video, or self-paced instruction. As a former teacher these were the experiences that I had with distance learning. I had seen online courses and even taken them. I had a colleague that had taken a video course to get their continuing education credits. This same colleague had also taken a self-paced workbook style course to continue their education as well. Actually I also had a former colleague leave the traditional classroom setting and became a teacher at a virtual school. I am not exactly sure how that works or what virtual school entails for the students or instructors.

In the media resource included with this week’s assignment we were given the Distance Learning Continuum. That gave me so many ways in which distance learning has been use throughout the years. Some of them I had thought of, and even used yet never thought of them in the same context of distance learning I see today. The continuum gave us Distance Learning through the years from 1833-2009. Distance Learning developed from correspondence courses, to radio broadcast, television broadcast, Telephone learning, through video and video tapes, Satellite and Cable television, Internet and online courses, to virtual completely online schools, and branching into business even further with computer based training systems. Today people seem to be using many of these distance learning elements all over the world depending on their accessibility to technology and distance learning options.

Having all of these different types of distance learning and technological advances has definitely changed my definition of distance learning. I would now say that Distance Learning is learning that is created in one setting and available to learners through various mediums. Distance learning can be given through print, online, blended (online and another medium which could be face to face, print or another form), or any other form of communicative technology.

Distance learning will continue to grow and develop. As new technology changes so will learning. Businesses can offer training courses to their employees on Smartphones or IPad/Tablets, so the learning can be done at any available time. Training updates and new developments can almost instantly be upgraded to the phone or application to keep companies in the newest information. Universities can continue to courses and programs to students completely online. Issuing of new technology with the course will allow students to become familiar with the technology they will use in their chosen field and be proficient in it when they begin their employment. K12 Schools will be able to have textbooks, assignments and interactivity easily accessible to their students through laptops, tablets or new technological advance. The Distance Learning options are endless.

In order for distance learning to continue to be successful there needs to be ways to monitor who is taking the course and submitting assignments. It would currently be very easy for someone else to do another’s work. There also needs to be greater emphasis placed on the quality of distance education courses offered. Moller, Foshay and Huett (2008) discuss the lack of quality and consistency in distance education courses currently offered as well as the strain of producing courses in a cost effective timely fashion while still producing a quality learning product. This is a struggle I face in my course building. I am constantly faced with making choices of quality production or timely results. Developing standards for course production and allowing for quality course development will only push distance learning to become the strongest learning resource available.

Resources

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.Retrieved this article from the Academic Search Complete database in the Walden Library.

Multimedia Program: "Distance Learning Timeline Continuum"