Our company has just acquired a new automated staff information system, and I have been put in charge of the training sessions for this program. Unfortunately, not everyone can meet at the same time, so I have to organize distance learning that will meet the needs of the learner and adhere to the guidelines set up by the company. In this scenario, the company has stressed that the employees need to be able to share information through documents and screen shots and need to be able to collaborate.
Picking the best course management system (CMS) for the project takes knowledge of the company’s desires as well as the learners’ needs. Most of the students will probably have average familiarity with technology. However, I do not want to overwhelm the learner since all or most of this learning will be done asynchronously. I want to make sure that all parties leave feeling fulfilled after this training. I do not want learners to feel lonely and overwhelmed, and I do not want the providers or me to feel as if the results are not meeting the desire (Moller, Foshay, & Huett, May/June 2008). Therefore, I have to take what the company wants into consideration first. The company wants the employees to share information and collaborate. Then, I want to take the learner’s needs into consideration. The learner wants this to be quick and efficient. After consideration, I will use CourseSites to host my learning sessions. CourseSites is user-friendly on both ends of the communication spectrum, with not much technology “noise” in between (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2009). In this format, students can collaborate in virtual classrooms. They can also show what they know through Dropbox assignments. Finally, they can easily share documents. In the arena of CourseSites, I will be able to provide virtual learning linked to that site as well. Using something like Second Life or Active Worlds, I could create virtual tutorials of what the students would need to do in real life (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2009). Also, Podcasting the steps of the new system could also be beneficial to learners. CourseSites is easily customizable to fit the exact needs of the students.
Besides being user-friendly, another advantage of CourseSites is that it is free. Therefore, the company can save money on this training while still reaching its educational goals. The Podcasting can also be free depending on who does it. If I make and produce it myself, then it is essentially free. However, the idea of using Second Life and Active Worlds is where the financial burden comes in. These sites cost money to get into the good bracket of tools. If I really wanted to do virtual tours of the new information system and the company did not want to pay for the interactive sites, then I could produce my own live action tutorial and post as a video. Second Life and Active Worlds are just another way to get through to a younger audience if that is what my audience turns out to be.
CourseSites will be the perfect fit to support all of the technology tools I want to use to create the best learning environment for this situation.
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.
Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2009). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (4th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Sunday, November 6, 2011
The Evolution of Distance Education
Before starting this course, I do not think that my definition of distance learning was that far from what it actual means. Distance learning is learning that occurs synchronously or asynchronously without actually being in the same room with the teacher. The information for distance learning is available at all times, and the learning can occur whenever the student is available. I have only experienced distance learning from this Master’s program. Before this, I received my Baccalaureate degree from a traditional school, and I received my first Master’s in Teaching and Learning from a traditional school. However, both of those degrees were earned when I did not have children. Now that I am a mother of two, I do not have the time to work full-time and attend classes. That is where distance learning comes in. While my definition of distance learning is similar to what most people would say it is, after experiencing my first week really studying distance education, I have changed some of my misconceptions about the design, efficiency, reputation, and future of distance learning.
I am not the first person to try to understand and define distance learning. In fact, there have been numerous definitions throughout the short life of distance education (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2009). All of the changes in definition show that this area of study is still growing and expanding. The benefits to distance education are numerous. Businesses and educational institutions find distance learning as a way to save money(Moller, Foshay, & Huett, May/June 2008). In my state of Ohio, our schools have to accommodate students by providing access to any course they want to take. Financially, it is not reasonable to have a teacher for all those courses, so our school can pay for certain classes to be taken online. Another benefit to online learning, that I have personally experienced, is flexibility. Students can learn at anytime and anywhere.
Because so many students and business professionals are moving to online education, the stigma of online institutions as being “easier” is fading. However, I do feel that this conception of online schools being easier does come from one of online learning’s downfalls: quality. Unfortunately, people and institutions do not give the same credit to online learning as the traditional classroom (Moller, Foshay, & Huett, July/August 2008). In fact, online instructors are often paid significantly less than traditional school students (Moller, Foshay, & Huett, July/August 2008). This shows that the businesses and institutions are eager to save money. It also shows that the money is just not available to spend time in the early development stages or the late evaluation stages of true instructional design. The idea that online learning is not labeled the same as traditional learning is where my definition changes. Having a brother who has a PhD from traditional schooling has caused me to think online learning is not as valuable since he reminds me that his degree is “real.” However, in just this first week, I have changed my perception. I have realized that it is not the medium in which I get my education, it is the effort I put into my learning. To be honest, I have put more time and energy into these online classes than my traditional classes. I easily maintained an A in my first Master’s program from a traditional school without doing half of the reading. In this online environment, I have to read everything and research all topics. Completing research on my own just for a discussion would not have happened in my traditional experience. It is hard to do well in this online program without doing the work. However, I know I am successful in this arena because I fit the tenants of someone who would do well in an online learning environment: experienced, interested, and self-motivated (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2009). Therefore, instead of feeling that this degree means less, I need to focus on the fact that I have actually learned more. As far as the perception of online learning being easier, as instructional designers, we will have to strive to fix the quality so that it is eventually seen as equal.
The future of distance learning is promising as long as we strive to create quality at a reasonableprice. In today’s economy, businesses are going to turn to any cost-saving measure: distance learning. If a business can save on instructor, facility, and traveling costs, then they will. Distance learning provides that. An area where distance learning will struggle will be in fulfillment of professors and students alike. Quite a few professors and students feel overwhelmed and isolated in the distance learning environment (Moller, Foshay, & Huett, July/August 2008; Huett, Moller, Foshay, & Coleman, 2008). In a case study for an online high school, students were lost to traditional schools in every category after trying the online high school for as little as one semester (Reid, Aqui, & Putney, 2009). The most common reasons for leaving were the feelings of isolation and overwhelming feelings mainly stemming from the technology and unfamiliarity of the learning medium (Reid, Aqui, &Putney, 2009). Online schools need to find a way for students to socialize in order for this part of the environment to be eliminated and for students to stay enrolled in that learning environment (Moller, Foshay, & Huett, July/August 2008). If instructional designers can tackle and conquer the major issues of quality and socialization, then there is a long future for distance learning.
Huett, J., Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Coleman, C. (2008). The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the web (Part 3: K12). TechTrends, 52(5), 63–67.
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.
Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Huett, J. (2008). The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the web (Part 2: Higher education). TechTrends, 52(4), 66–70.
Reid, K., Aqui, Y., & Putney, L. (2009). Evaluation of an evolving virtual high school. Educational Media International, 46(4), 281-294. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/ehost
Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2009). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (4th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.
I am not the first person to try to understand and define distance learning. In fact, there have been numerous definitions throughout the short life of distance education (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2009). All of the changes in definition show that this area of study is still growing and expanding. The benefits to distance education are numerous. Businesses and educational institutions find distance learning as a way to save money(Moller, Foshay, & Huett, May/June 2008). In my state of Ohio, our schools have to accommodate students by providing access to any course they want to take. Financially, it is not reasonable to have a teacher for all those courses, so our school can pay for certain classes to be taken online. Another benefit to online learning, that I have personally experienced, is flexibility. Students can learn at anytime and anywhere.
Because so many students and business professionals are moving to online education, the stigma of online institutions as being “easier” is fading. However, I do feel that this conception of online schools being easier does come from one of online learning’s downfalls: quality. Unfortunately, people and institutions do not give the same credit to online learning as the traditional classroom (Moller, Foshay, & Huett, July/August 2008). In fact, online instructors are often paid significantly less than traditional school students (Moller, Foshay, & Huett, July/August 2008). This shows that the businesses and institutions are eager to save money. It also shows that the money is just not available to spend time in the early development stages or the late evaluation stages of true instructional design. The idea that online learning is not labeled the same as traditional learning is where my definition changes. Having a brother who has a PhD from traditional schooling has caused me to think online learning is not as valuable since he reminds me that his degree is “real.” However, in just this first week, I have changed my perception. I have realized that it is not the medium in which I get my education, it is the effort I put into my learning. To be honest, I have put more time and energy into these online classes than my traditional classes. I easily maintained an A in my first Master’s program from a traditional school without doing half of the reading. In this online environment, I have to read everything and research all topics. Completing research on my own just for a discussion would not have happened in my traditional experience. It is hard to do well in this online program without doing the work. However, I know I am successful in this arena because I fit the tenants of someone who would do well in an online learning environment: experienced, interested, and self-motivated (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2009). Therefore, instead of feeling that this degree means less, I need to focus on the fact that I have actually learned more. As far as the perception of online learning being easier, as instructional designers, we will have to strive to fix the quality so that it is eventually seen as equal.
The future of distance learning is promising as long as we strive to create quality at a reasonableprice. In today’s economy, businesses are going to turn to any cost-saving measure: distance learning. If a business can save on instructor, facility, and traveling costs, then they will. Distance learning provides that. An area where distance learning will struggle will be in fulfillment of professors and students alike. Quite a few professors and students feel overwhelmed and isolated in the distance learning environment (Moller, Foshay, & Huett, July/August 2008; Huett, Moller, Foshay, & Coleman, 2008). In a case study for an online high school, students were lost to traditional schools in every category after trying the online high school for as little as one semester (Reid, Aqui, & Putney, 2009). The most common reasons for leaving were the feelings of isolation and overwhelming feelings mainly stemming from the technology and unfamiliarity of the learning medium (Reid, Aqui, &Putney, 2009). Online schools need to find a way for students to socialize in order for this part of the environment to be eliminated and for students to stay enrolled in that learning environment (Moller, Foshay, & Huett, July/August 2008). If instructional designers can tackle and conquer the major issues of quality and socialization, then there is a long future for distance learning.
Huett, J., Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Coleman, C. (2008). The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the web (Part 3: K12). TechTrends, 52(5), 63–67.
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.
Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Huett, J. (2008). The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the web (Part 2: Higher education). TechTrends, 52(4), 66–70.
Reid, K., Aqui, Y., & Putney, L. (2009). Evaluation of an evolving virtual high school. Educational Media International, 46(4), 281-294. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/ehost
Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2009). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (4th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.
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