The field of distance learning has changed so much in the recent past. To go from correspondence or telephone courses to completely online or web based classes is a huge change. The field continues to grow with the true future unknown as the abilities of technology and the technology itself is ever-changing. One issue is with the perceptions of distance learning, is the perception keeping up with the changes in the field?
George Siemens explains that the growing acceptance of distance education is fueled by
- An increase in online communication overall
- Practical experience with new tools
- Growing comfort with online discourse
- An ability to communicate with diverse and global groups (2012).
This growing acceptance should continue in the years to come. As people are more familiar with the options in distance learning, the ease with its use and their ability to gain education on their time, more people will begin enrolling in distance education programs.
The amount of programs has also grown immensely in recent years. There were only a few courses available 10 years ago and now there are so many learning options given through distance learning. Giving learners the opportunity to learn from a quality educational system while in their own homes will allow even more people the ability to enroll in the field they want to learn.
As an Instructional Designer it is our responsibility to maintain the level of education offered through distance education and work to continuous improve the options. There needs to be a high set of standards developed and followed for distance learning as well as appropriate assessments of learners and their skills. The emphasis needs to shift away from the hurry up timelines to get the courses built and making money for the institutions, to quality well developed distance learning courses. It is our jobs as Instructional Designers to make this happen. Time needs to be put in to build and develop exceptional courses that reflect educational best practices, teaching standards, and learning objectives. The learner needs to be assessed thoroughly and show growth in their learning as quantitatively evaluated throughout the course. The shift from having so many courses out there to having exceptional courses for learning should definitely be the next step in distance education
“Distance delivery is and will continue to have an impact on education in the years to come” (Schmidt and Gallegos, 2001). I feel that this is exactly how I can impact education in the years to come. I can work to build exceptional distance courses that meet the needs of my learners. I can teach people about the wonderful opportunities available through distance education. I can continue the future growth of education utilizing the ever-changing technology of the future. I hope to continue to change distance education for the better in the eyes of everyone in the many years to come.
Resources
Schmidt, E., & Gallegos, A. (2001). Distance learning: Issues and concerns of distance learners. Journal of Industrial Technology, 17(3). Retrieved from http://atmae.org/jit/Articles/schmidt041801.pdf
Siemens, G. (n.d.). The Future of Distance Education. Retrieved June 13, 2012 from https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_549515_1%26url%3D
I am following your blog.
ReplyDeleteArianna Matos
Nicole,
ReplyDeleteDistance learning has grown a long way and continues to grow. I think the perception of online learning is changing too because of there are so many options for learners today. Compared to just a few years ago distance learning, in my opinion is consider mainstream and is getting the attention of many learners and educators today. However, I still think we have a ways to go. When it comes to perception, I know from my own experience when I tell people that I am in graduate school and people find out its online, it always sparks a conversation, such as, how do I like it, what school, how long is the program. Furthermore, since I work in professional development along with K-12 educators they are now looking more at converting traditional courses to online.
In my opinion, online learning is here to stay, and we can't even imagine what the future of online learning will be. We already see K-12 learners in online schools and more and more colleges developing online programs. As an instructional designer my goal is to contribute to the development of online learning whereby all stakeholders have a positive outcome. A big part of this is developing online learning whereby that community of (people) can come together with a (purpose) to learn, and received information (process), and share as a result of being a part of a online learning community. These elements allow learners to connect, interact, communicate, and develop a social presence (Laureate Education, 2012).
Palloff, R. & Pratt, K. (2012) Video Presentation: Online Learning Communities. Retrieved from Laureate Education.
Michelle