Reflection

Distance learning is getting more accepting as time goes on. With resources such as smart phones, tablets and practically any device that can access a wifi or internet connection makes distance learning that much more accessible. As the kinks of accessing the distance learning on those devices gets ironed out, more people are learning how to get equipped with technology as a resource and medium for communication. With social networking tools such as Facebook, Twitter and blogging, “more of us are having experiences communicating online” (Laureate Education, n.d., 0:35). Therefore, the perception of distance learning will be a positive outlook on the advantages and convenience of better learning at our fingertips.

As an instructional designer, I feel that one of the best ways to improve societal perceptions on distance learning, is to apply and use the tools that our current and future learners are using on a day to day basis. For example, if we take a look at the number of people that use FaceTime to stay in touch with loved ones, across the globe, it is a very similar communication model, that can be applied to a way to communicate with instructors or participate in a synchronous classroom session. Another great example, is the level of interaction that goes on between users on Facebook, gaming and blogs that reside in all parts of the world. With these applications, potential learners are already used to posting, searching, checking email, posting photos, and (hopefully) proper netiquette, to some degree, on a daily to weekly basis regardless of their timezone. This shows that “geographical separation isn’t a significant factor as we may have thought it was even if five years ago” (Laureate Education, n.d., 1:00). Therefore, it is important to see where the ease of transition can be applied, such as in discussion postings, attending lectures and checking in with classmates.

It is important to be aware of what is and is not working for current learners and to communicate that to the universities that provide online learning. The assessments that are conducted at the end of each course, hold a lot of value as in which areas need improvement. These need to be taken seriously by our industry, so that we can make the changes and hopefully come up with better ways for future learners. A difference can only be made if the areas that are not working start to get improved now, which can take upto five years for results to show. It is important to look at all of the industries that use distance learning, which is called the ‘triple helix model’, which concludes of government, educational and the corporate world.

As an instructional designer, I feel that by assessing the content design, through the eyes of a learner, is a good place to start. Asking myself, Does this make sense from a learners perspective? Do I feel welcome? Does the tone of the instruction sound cold and unwelcoming? We need to “bridge that gap of comfort, that’s the key challenge, learners need to be comfortable in the online environment” (Laureate Education, n.d., 3:58). We want to help them feel like its second nature to engage in their course with ease. Always keeping in mind, that we are designing for the learner, whilst taking into account that the platform still needs to be facilitated with an instructor presence. It is vital to stay up to date with what is happening in the online learning community and being open to experimenting with innovative ideas, but staying within the context of online learning. It would be useful to see what people are using to stay in touch with others and use technology as an advantage to opening up the horizons and endless possibilities of distance learning.


References

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and Learning at a Distance: Foundations of Distance Education (5th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Laureate Education. (n.d.). The future of distance education. Retrieved
from https://class.waldenu.edu

Image retrieved from https://info.examtime.com/files/2013/10/distance-learning1.jpg

Converting to a Distance Learning Format

Blended learning brings about many advantages for a learner who wants the best of both worlds, online and classroom learning. A good way to approach converting a face-to-face training session into a blended learning format, would be to evaluate what is working and what is not. It is also important to let the learners know that this change is going to be happening. View the PDF guide to help you through the process of converting the scenario based training below to a blended learning format. It concludes of pre-planning strategies, current content changes, facilitator role and tips to encourage trainees to stay engaged in the asynchronous learning environment.

Scenario:  A training manager has been frustrated with the quality of communication among trainees in his face-to-face training sessions and wants to try something new. With his supervisor’s permission, the trainer plans to convert all current training modules to a blended learning format, which would provide trainees and trainers the opportunity to interact with each other and learn the material in both a face-to-face and online environment. In addition, he is considering putting all of his training materials on a server so that the trainees have access to resources and assignments at all times.

The Impact of Open Source

Open source courses are a wonderful way to learn about topics of interest, without worrying about a financial or restricted schedule commitments. Among the many open source courses available online today, I decided to have a look at the Introduction to Photography course available at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology).

Right from the start, I really liked how they structured the search to find the course of interest, via topic, department or MIT course number. Once I clicked on the course topic, it broke it down further to subtopic, and then specialty. When I selected the course of interest, a course description was given, with the use of proper headings and a picture to depict the subject. 

Once arrived at the homepage of the course, it was quite an intuitive experience, in the way that everything was available via one-click links from the left hand menu, such as the syllabus and course project samples. As I browsed the syllabus and project page, it was nice to see charts and thumbnails to help organize the content. "Diagrams and charts often can make it easier to understand complex ideas" (Simonson et all, 2012, pg. 160). Furthermore, the instructor included past assignments from previous students, to help students ensure they are on the right track.

When considering the course for a distance learning environment, it seems as though the course was built with the distance learner in mind. Although there was not a lot of reference materials, resources, and homework assignments per say, it seemed that the content design was fit for the subject being taught. The syllabus and instructions were pretty clear and concise, as to what is expected from the student and the outcome of the project. "Detailed assignment requirements are imperative" (Simonson et all, 2012, pg. 134).

Having the option to take these types of courses, only expands the potential of what the online learning environment can bring to eager learners all over the world. Information sharing could not get any better than this. "The growth of virtual schools and college gives us a glimpse into a possible educational model of the future" (Simonson et all, 2012, pg. 137).

If we were to look at areas of improvement, I would suggest introducing modules to break up the 14 weeks of the course. Currently, most of the content is merged on the syllabus page. For example, there could be three modules, where the first one concludes of Weeks 1-4, the second Weeks 5-9, and the third for Weeks 10-14. "A module is a major subdivision of a unit [and] is a distinct and discreet component of a unit" (Simonson et all, 2012, pg. 181). Currently, the course is not structured poorly, but definitely could be broken down further. "Students need this kind of structure and detail to help them stay organized and on task. A detailed syllabus is a good starting point" (Simonson et all, 2012, pg. 134).

The course does follow a linear-directed instructional approach. This means that the "students move in the same path through the concepts, topics, and modules, and complete the same assessments and test" (Simonson et all, 2012, pg. 170).

An interesting feature was that the course is available in other languages, such as Spanish and Portuguese.

It is important to note the date this course was created, which was 2002. Therefore it is fair to say that you may not see some of the interactivity and resources that may be available today, in 2014. I was impressed to see that they have done a great job of integrating usability and incorporating proper course organization in the content management system.

References

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (5th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.