Module 2 – Elements of Distance Education Diffusion –
Global Diversity
Diversity:
the art of thinking independently together. ~ Malcolm Forbes
The biggest bonus of
distance education versus face-to-face education is the global diversity
component. There are people from
other countries attending in-person universities; however, in an online
environment there is a bigger mix of individuals from around the world. Students get the chance to interact and
learn from a diverse group of people that they otherwise may not get to meet
(Laureate Education, Inc., 2008).
I have attended both online and in-person colleges, and I can honestly
say that I have met a more diverse group of people at my online college than
the in-person college.
Before distance education
became available, students would have to travel to the actual country for the
chance to learn from their peers.
Now, people can learn from the comfort of their home. Do not get me wrong there are benefits to
traveling to a country in person. One
can experience the sights, sounds, smells, and interactions that online schools
cannot provide. However,
e-learning provides students with a unique perspective of the world. Online students get to learn about people
from other cultures and life experiences. Students get to see that people from
around the world have similar ideas despite their lifestyle or get to look at
something in a different way due to the lifestyle differences.
Students can interact with
people from other countries due to the technology provided by the college. Students interact on discussion boards
and online forums. Also, webinars
are another excellent resource that students use to interact with their
peers. Finally, Skype can be an
option to chat with other students.
In my experience, Skype has not been used in my classes. Skype tends to be used more by
instructors to talk with their students.
References:
Laureate Education, Inc. (2008). Principles of distance education: The future of distance education. Baltimore, MD: Author.
I posted to the following blogs:
ReplyDeleteJoshua Davenport (http://adavenporteducation.blogspot.com/2015/06/the-evolution-of-online-communication.html)
Naquai Roundtree (http://edtechdriven.weebly.com/blog)