The past, like the future,
is indefinite and exists only as a spectrum of possibilities. ~ Stephen Hawking
Module 1 – The Next Generation of Distance Education
The
Internet provides people with instant access to volumes of information and
knowledge. Distance
education presents communities and organizations with an alternate way to train
and educate their citizens and employees.
The following is a discussion that explores Moller, Foshay, Huett, &
Coleman’s (2008a; 2008b) and Simonson (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008a;
Laureate Education, Inc., 2008b) ideas of how distance education must evolve in
order to be a successful endeavor.
Convenient & Economical Alternative
Distance
education allows organizations and institutions easy access to education. Students and instructors can complete
and grade assignments at their convenience allowing people to adjust their
schedules and manage their time for school (Moller et al., 2008a; Moller et
al., 2008b). Moreover, students
and instructors can complete course work or teach from home or other locations
without driving to school (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008b). Not having to go to a school
building is handy when one must go away for a family or work event.
Moreover,
distance education saves money (Moller et al., 2008a). Institutions do not have the overhead
costs associated with maintaining classrooms and buildings (Moller et al.,
2008a). Additionally, students and
teachers save time and gas money because there is no need to drive to school
(Laureate Education, Inc., 2008b).
Furthermore, students with children do not need daycare while they are
in class, which also saves a lot of money. Instead, students can complete assignments when their
children are sleeping or watching television.
Finally,
distance learning provides education to students that may not otherwise have
the opportunity to go to school (Huett et al., 2008; Laureate Education, Inc.,
2008b). For example, some
students live in rural areas where the closest college or schools are hours
away. As a result, travel
expenses or time may prevent a person from going to school. Also, if a person cannot go to school
due to an illness of a family member or themselves, e-learning provides an
alternative way to get an education (Huett et al., 2008).
The Future of Distance Education
1. Distance education will supplement face-to-face courses
(Laureate Education, Inc., 2008a).
In
the future, distance learning will complement more face-to-face courses. Having a distance education component
to a sit-down class allows students to use technology (Laureate Education,
Inc., 2008b). Furthermore, the
asynchronous nature of discussion boards, encourage students to think about the
class discussions and lectures after school (Moller et al., 2008a; Moller et
al., 2008b). Students must take
the time to reflect on the course material before making comments promoting
critical thinking skills.
2. Enrollment in distance education programs will increase as
more people go to college to finish or earn degrees, particularly at the
graduate level (Moller et al., 2008b).
Specifically,
many of the new jobs of the future will require advanced degrees. For example, the need for people
trained in the healthcare industry is predicted to add the most jobs to the US
market from 2012 – 2022 (U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics
(BLS), 2013). Most of these jobs
require advanced training or degrees to gain employment (U.S. BLS, 2013).
3. Distance education is not a substitute for face-to-face
institutions (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008a).
There
will be a need for brick and mortar schools to teach students going for degrees
in science, technical trades, and the medical field. On the job training and laboratory, skills are needed to for
these degrees (U.S. BLS, 2013).
The only way to gain experience is through internships or going to a
real laboratory with materials and equipment to practice the skills needed for
the job.
My Opinion
I
agree with Dr. Simonson that distance education is not a replacement for
face-to-face education and brick, and motor institutions are not leaving
anytime soon (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008b). As a result, he believes that distance learning designers
should strive to make learning outcomes and the knowledge gained from a course
"equivalent" to the in-person counterpart (Laureate Education, Inc.,
2008b; Moller et al., 2008b). I
think for this to occur, educators need to determine the best teaching
practices for a particular subject.
Depending
upon the subject and the content will dictate whether a course can be
completely or partially taught in-person or online (Moller et al., 2008a;
Moller et al., 2008b; Huett et al., 2008). For example, I taught chemistry at a rural high school. One of my students attended the
alternate high school after getting into trouble at school. She was enrolled in a distance
education chemistry course. She
watched lessons and completed assignments by herself. When her punishment ended, she returned to school and my
chemistry class. She was slightly
ahead of my class; however, she did not understand chemistry. She could not complete problems or
answer questions regarding basic chemistry concepts that were covered in the
first quarter.
Chemistry
is a course that builds upon each idea throughout the year. Students must understand a topic to
move forward to the next concept to successfully apply their knowledge. Perhaps if my student had more tutoring
or mentoring throughout her virtual chemistry class, she would have performed
better throughout the school year. Also, research suggests that distance education may not
benefit all types of learners and should not be the alternate method of instruction
for everyone (Huett et al., 2008).
In
my opinion, certain courses such as science, technical trades, and medical
courses need face-to-face time, especially during the laboratories. Virtual or simulated labs are great for
practice and learning how to use equipment; however, they are vastly different
than doing a real lab. In the
virtual world, people do not have the opportunity to pick up equipment with
their hands and learn the skills needed to conduct experiments or complete
tasks.
Furthermore,
Moller et al. (2008a; 2008b), Huett et al. (2008), and Laureate Education, Inc.
(2008b) propose that distance education must be developed properly to be
effective and benefit students.
Quality e-learning requires trained personnel or instructional designers
that are knowledgeable on the best teaching techniques and technologies for a
specific subject and that also requires time (Moller et al., 2008a; Moller et
al., 2008b; Huett et al., 2008; & Laureate Education, Inc., 2008b). I think
that my chemistry student would have benefited from these principles as well as
future students requiring alternate methods of instruction; otherwise, society
will fail to provide a proper education for everyone.
In
conclusion, distance education is an affordable, convenient, alternate method
of delivery for training instruction.
Universities and organizations must train their faculty and staff on the
proper teaching techniques for distance education because they are not the same
(Laureate Education, Inc., 2008b; Moller et al., 2008b). If people are aware and embrace the
differences between face-to-face and virtual learning, distance education can
be a successful endeavor for everyone.
References:
Huett, J., Moller, L., Foshay, W. R., & Coleman,
C. (2008). The evolution of distance
education: Implications for
instructional design on the potential of the web: Part 3: K – 12.
TechTrends, 52(5), 63 – 67.
Laureate Education, Inc. (2008a). Principles of distance education: Distance education: The net generation. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Laureate Education, Inc. (2008b). Principles of distance education: Equivalency theory. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Moller, L., Foshay, W. R., & Huett, J. (2008a). 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.
Moller, L., Foshay, W. R., & Huett, J. (2008b). The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design
on the potential of the web: Part
2: Higher education. TechTrends,
52(4), 66 – 70.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2013, December 19). Economic
news release: Employment
projections: 2012 – 2022 summary. Retrieved from http://www.bls.gov/news.release/ecopro.nr0.htm
