Distance Learning in the near future.

Considering distance learning in the near future we must look at the direction of technology. Technology has had and will continue to have a major impact on education. In fact,

technology will become more and more engrossed in our everyday lives. As more people become familiar and comfortable with distance learning the more it will be accepted. Universities are noticing an influx of enrollment of online students in the United States and outside of the United States.

Online learning is gaining a firm hold in universities and corporations. More and more academia say that their institutions offer online courses. “Many of them, especially those with a public-service mandate, consider online learning key to advancing their mission, placing advanced education within reach of people who might otherwise not be able to access it.” According to the Economist unit. Based on this information I think in five years or more online learning will be the chosen method of learning and training for education and corporations. Teachers will teach from more than one medium and textbooks will be replaced with online materials

No generation is more at ease with online, collaborative technologies than today’s young people—

“digital natives”, who have grown up in an immersive computing environment. Where a notebook

and pen may have formed the tool kit of prior generations, today’s students come to class armed with

smart phones, laptops and iPods.

This era of pervasive technology has significant implications for higher education. Nearly two-thirds

(63%) of survey respondents from the public and private sectors say that technological innovation

will have a major impact on teaching methodologies over the next five years. “Technology allows

students to become much more engaged in constructing their own knowledge, and cognitive studies

show that ability is key to learning success,” says New York City-based Queens College vice-president of institutional advancement, Susan Henderson. ( Economist Unit 2008)

I think as an instructional designer I can be a proponent for improving societal perceptions of distance learning through several methods. When conducting research I can be sure that I choose credible resources when conducting literature review. This will help to validate my information when presenting. I can also make sure that I understand that I am accountable to certain standards and should conduct myself in the most ethical manner at all times. I should also apply the equivalency theory that requires that distance learning and face to face education should have the same learning outcome and provide equivalent learning experiences to meet those outcomes. There are many more things that an instructional designer can do to be a proponent for improving societal perceptions, I have only touched on a few of them.

As in other environments, the rapid proliferation of e-courses doesn’t always translate to good instruction. Proper evaluations and assessments aren’t always administered which prevents the necessary refinement in e course development. (Moller, Foshay & Huett, 2008, p. 67). I will ensure that as an instructional designer that I remember that planning is critical to online courses. I should make sure activities align with the objectives, and make sure that I have the proper software and make sure learners have the necessary skills to use it. It is also important to understand that learners learn differently and I should consider that when designing course. I should seek out assistance from SME's and ask their input when designing courses. Make sure activities are engaging to keep students involved. Finally I think investing in facilitators training is extremely important to any online course. We learned a good instructional designer always plans a trainer training and this is a key part of implementation.

“There is the issue of a lack of trained professionals to conduct online learning. Our authors discuss the fact that teachers are not necessarily instructors and that instructional designers can function as content experts and distance education developers working alongside teachers. Finally, it is essential to get faculty buy in order to facilitate the necessary organizational change required to adopt online instruction as a venue that stands alongside face- to- face instruction. Without proper training of personnel and common value placed on distance education, it may never get very far. (Moller, Foshay & Huett, 2008, p. 69)

References:

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (n.d.). Distance education: The next generation [Multimedia]. Distance Learning. Retrieved October 31. 2010

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.

The future-of-Higher-Education, How will technology shape it. The Economist Intelligence Unit 2008 Retrieved October 31, 2010 from the website:

www.nmc.org/pdf/Future-of-Higher-Ed-(NMC).pdf

Training Material

I have been presented with the opportunity to help a training manager try a different method of training.
The training manger would like to convert all current training modules to a blended learning format.
This will allow trainers and trainees the opportunity to interact with each other and learn the material in both face-to-face and online environment. I have highlighted some key points that I think are pertinent to online learning.
In considering the effectiveness of facilitating online learning there are several key components that should be used. Dr. Piskurich shared a few key points that are vital to distance learning. First the facilitator must know the software. It is important to train the facilitator on the software that the students will be learning. Secondly the lesson plan should be thorough and full of activities. It is important that the facilitator know the entire lesson plan to avoid stumbling when facilitating. Secondly, Facilitators play a critical role in student engagement. Additional research by Chickering and Gamson (1987) reveals that knowing faculty and faculty concerns assist students with challenging times and can enhance a student’s intellectual commitment. It is through human communication and interaction that students are able to connect with faculty. Therefore, with growing numbers of traditional courses and programs transitioning to online and blended formats, there is an increasing need to examine effective human communication in online environments to foster a personalized connection between students, faculty, and the institution.

View pdf


References:
Chickering, A. W., & Gamson, Z. F. (1987). Seven principles for good practice in undergraduate education. AAHE Bulletin, 39 (7), 3-7.


Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (n.d.). Facilitating online learning [Multimedia]. Distance Learning

This week we had to select a free Open Course site and provide an analysis of the pre-planning and design for a distance learning environment. I chose http://web.mit.edu/ocw/ within the site there are over 2000 courses to choose from. They did not have a course related to teaching so I chose a different course. I chose Brain and cognitive sciences a course taught in the fall of 2004 at MIT. The instructor listed the requirements for the course in a column on the left. Listed is the Course home page, syllabus ,calendar, readings and assignments, lecture notes, exams and study materials. This is evident that the instructor pre-planned for the learners. Teaching at a distance requires planning and organization like face-to-face courses. I think the course appears to carefully planned and designed for a distance learning environment.
This course follows the recommendations for online instruction as listed in the course textbook.

The designer offered a variety of activities to engage the learner. The class offers Course Features such as Audio lectures, lecture notes and assignments (no solutions).There is a course description that gives the learner a general idea about the class. In the class description it states that one of the best aspects of Psychology is that you are the subject matter. This makes it possible to do many demonstrations in lecture that allow you to experience the topic under study according to the site. For each lecture, students are given a brief handout containing an outline, key questions, and points to ponder. Slides on visual perception and attention are also presented for lectures 4 and 5. The slides are also accessible on a pdf. According to the site.

The course also informed the learner in order to access some of the files in the course there are certain technical requirements. I like how the audio files are available of download from iTunesU. This gives the learners the opportunity to access the information from there mobile or ipods.

Overall I thought the course was effective in meeting the needs of distance learning. I think a video and more interactivity would enhance the course and provide a more meainngful learning experience.

References:
Wolfe, Jeremy. 9.00 Introduction to Psychology, Fall 2004. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology: MIT OpenCourseWare), http://ocw.mit.edu (Accessed 10 Oct, 2010). License: Creative Commons BY-NC-SA
MIT OpenCourseWare), http://ocw.mit.edu (Accessed 10 Oct, 2010). License: Creative Commons BY-NC-SA

Collaborative Learning Environment

This week we were asked to chose one example to focus on and, in a blog post, identify several distance learning technologies that will provide a solution for the challenge. I chose the collaborative training environment training.

A new automated staff information system was recently purchased by a major corporation and needs to be implemented in six regional offices. Unfortunately, the staff is located throughout all the different offices and cannot meet at the same time or in the same location. As an instructional designer for the corporation, you have been charged with implementing a training workshop for these offices. As part of the training, you were advised how imperative it is that the staff members share information, in the form of screen captures and documents, and participate in ongoing collaboration.

When I decided upon the challenge I knew immediately which learning tools would be beneficial for the challenge. If I were the instructional designer I would choose Web 2.0 as a tool for training. The web 2.0 has so many capabilities and functions. We learned this week that web 2.0 is not limited to the education field and it exist primarily outside of the education sphere but extremely beneficial to the education field as well as any learner engaging function that can be incorporated into our next generation of course management systems according to Simonson et al 2009 p.244) In my training I would like to provide a hybrid type learning for the trainees. I would choose this type of training because I think it appeals to various learning styles. The learners will have various backgrounds and to ensure the highest probability of effectiveness, I think using different methods would be the most efficient. I would utilize podcasting to deliver the face-to-face training method. Podcasting is the process of recording and storing audio or video content on the internet for downloading and playback using various technology tools including the computer. Previously companies utilized the computer for trainings by converting manuals and instructor materials into slideshows or power point presentations for meeting training needs. I would also use a wiki or consider using a cms (course management system) like www.webstudy.com,or www.moodle.org. This will allow for discussions, forums, and assignments related to the training. This type of collaborations can be powerful to the learning world. Currently, e-learning and distance learning programs offer more engaging, interactive and virtual experiences to make the training meaningful. The shift towards social learning is mainly because organizations have started recognizing the tremendous need to build, manage and formalize their social and collaborative learning programs. Companies are reevaluating their training strategies and are looking for ways to accommodate learning programs that provide collaborative learning. According to Wikipedia, collaborative learning refers to various methodologies and environments where learners engage and actively interact to learn or attempt to learn something together. I was able to find several sites that are currently engaging in the collaborative training environment.


The first site is Northrop Grumman
Virtual, Interactive and Collaborative Training Resource/Environment
VICTR/E is Northrop Grumman’s interactive, virtual training environment. It replicates command and control situations and allows collaborative scenario training and analysis of warfighting methods, regardless of warfighters’ locations.
VICTR/E enables warfighters and developers to analyze human-to- machine interface options without expensive, elaborate hardware and software. Adjustments to scenarios and equipment positioning can be made in seconds with the click of a mouse.
VICTR/E reduces the logistical cost of expensive and limited resources through virtual representation in a very small footprint. With VICTR/E, warfighters spend less time traveling to training, less time setting-up courses, and they have more time to spend on training tasks, making more efficient use of down-time. Further, the low cost of a unit of collaborative training allows VICTR/E to be available to a larger cross-section of forces.

The second site that I discovered that is engaging in collaborative training is the Civil Safety and Defense Department.

Overview
The Civil Safety and Defense Department of the French Ministry of Internal Affairs is involved in safeguarding the population from risks that include everyday accidents, global disasters, forest fires and the protection of property from natural disasters like flooding.

It has different schools that specialize in training its members to combat a range of emergencies such as forest and urban fires, chemical leaks and flooding. Many of the trainees in these schools come from the 240,000 fire fighters in France, 80% of whom are volunteers, and who share their fire fighting responsibilities with full time jobs and careers.

The Challenge
The traditional way to train forest fire fighters is with outdoor training which is considered to be very expensive (as many vehicles and airplanes are needed) and also time consuming. In the past the Civil Safety and Defense Department has used a Flight Simulator as a tool for plane guidance training for forest fire fighting. But this method still involved too much paper-based studying and in-field simulation. They needed a more effective tool to simulate real fire fighting actions to train their personnel effectively while also keeping expenses low.

The Solution
The tools developed by ParallelGraphics were used by the EMI Informatiques company to create a complete collaborative 3D environment for forest fire fighting training. A training session involves around 20 students, each playing a role, with the training covering aspects ranging from ground navigation and map reading to planning and tactics.

All users can communicate with each other and see the fire, available transportation and the scenario unfolding (such as water planes bombing the fire) in a 3D simulation. Session managers are able to control certain parameters such as the growth of the fire, the time of day, weather conditions and many others.

“It is likely, however, that virtual worlds represent the standard learning environments of some point in our future.” (Simonson et al 2009 p. 246) What are your thoughts to this statement? I think it is highly likely that this statement is true.

References:
Collaborative learning. (2010, August 8). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 03:13, September 27, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Collaborative_learning&oldid=377826010

www.moodle.org

www.is.northropgrumman.com/products/victre/index.html

www.parallelgraphics.com/products/sdk/success/fire/

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2009). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (4th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.

www.webstudy.com

Distance learning

Prior to starting this course my definition of distance learning was limited to online courses. I thought distance learning was getting a college degree through the internet. I also thought distance learning was an opportunity to finish college sooner than traditional students. This week we were asked to share what we’ve learned and how distance learning has influenced my personal definition. In our resources this week I learned my definition was so limited. “Distance education seems a new idea to most educators of today. However, the concepts that form the basis of distance education are more than a century old. Certainly, distance education has experienced growth and change recently, but long traditions of the field continue to give it direction for the future. (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek 2009) Prior to this class I did not know the history of distance learning or all the facets of it. There are several definitions of distance learning with varying thoughts, but basically make the same point.

“Distance education is a method of education in which the learner is physically separate from the teacher. It may be used on its own, or in conjunction with other forms of education, including face to face. In distance education, learners are physically separated from the institution that sponsors the instruction.” (Simonson et al) Is one of the definitions that I learned this week. I think this definition is a good definition because I find it to be all inclusive. I have learned that distance learning is not limited to higher education but expands to corporate America, military, globally, and the K-12 setting. After reading our resources this week I have had the opportunity to expand my thought process. I know have a greater understanding of distance learning and its potential.
As I consider my definition of distance learning I think overcoming the distance of place or time, using technology to communicate between the teacher and learner is important. Distance learning allows learners to go to college with people who have shared experiences and are in the working world. Distance learning allows business to offer training for employees without compromising any work force. Distance learning provides a learning experience that is tailored to individual students opposed to 30+ students in a classroom. Distance learning can provide a learning experience that is more doing which appeals to the various learning styles. This type of learning can be more engaging for the learner.
As technology accelerates and embeds itself in our everyday lives, we must consider its impact in the future. The development of new technology continues to have an impact on learning and is constantly evolving. In order to maintain its pace, it is imperative that trainers are properly taught and prepared to deliver online content. While on the one hand, new technology allows schools and instructors to offer learning in new ways, educators still have to be open to the new ways. Yet, this is changing, and the pace of this change will continue to accelerate as the demand for online courses increases. “Distance education opportunities are quickly growing through the use of computer mediated communications. Tens of thousands of networks are connected to the internet.” ( Simonson et al) “While technology changes rapidly, people do not. People want to use tools that are familiar and they’ve always used, and will tend to adopt tools only if they see a clear benefit either in productivity or in savings.” (Starr, 2003)
In the past, education has been practiced in separate buildings by carefully regimented and standardized classes of students led and instructed by teachers working in departments. Research has shown that in the last decade this model of teaching has seen a decrease in use. There has been an emergence of a new model where education is practiced, guided and assisted by online instructors and experts from around the world. This model is individualized which helps to optimize the learning experience.

Though today we are seeing a new vision, the future will see a reduction in institutions and traditional forms of education. I don’t think they will become totally obsolete because there is still a need for the campus environment, spirit, and sports. I think we will see more traditional colleges offering both online and traditional classes.
References:
Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2009). Teaching and Learning at a Distance: Foundations of Distance Education (4th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.
Starr, L. (2003, December 02). Encouraging Teacher Technology Use. Retrieved September 10, 2010 from Education World: http://www.education-world.com/a_tech/tech159.shtml

As I reflect on how my view of learning has change I feel I have a better understanding of how I learn. Prior to taking this class I thought I only possessed one type of learning style or intelligence. As an undergraduate student we learned there were different learning modalities and it was important to incorporate them in the classroom for the students. There are three basic ways we process information: Visually, auditorally, and kinesthetic (hands on). It was through this process that I realized that I use all of the modalities to learn but visual is the most effective style of learning for me. I still support this statement and believe it to be true. My view on how I learn has changed to a certain degree. According Felder et al. (2002), “people have different learning styles that are reflected in different academic strengths, weaknesses, skills, and interests. Understanding learning style differences is thus an important step in designing balanced instruction that is effective for all students” (p. 3). There are several models of learning styles that are currently being used to assess how students learn. Using these assessments will facilitate in understanding how learning styles fluctuate within a specific context.” This statement has radically changed they way I learn, and how I will design material. I realized that individuals can have different learning styles depending upon the content that they are learning.

The information that I have learned over the past couple of weeks about learning styles and theories has heightened my awareness of the various learning styles and how they could be detrimental if not used properly. There could be drawbacks to categorizing students in a particular learning style. “However, one person can have several learning styles relative to a specific course or subject. On the other hand, when the objectives change, the learning style may also change.” Gilbert, J., & Swanier, C. (2008). If an instructor or designer is not aware of this a learner might not have the opportunity to learn the material. I will always consider this statement on my quest to providing learners with the highest quality of instruction. In designing material I think it is pivotal that we find balance when designing material. It is important to appeal to the various learning styles but keeping in mind that they can change depending on the content. I really hate to sound so redundant because these were points I mentioned in my post last week. I mentioned them this week due to their relevance to the questions.
Technology plays a huge role in my learning. I remember as a child owning a set of encyclopedias. I thought this was the best invention because the information was condensed in all of those huge books. Today the computer is our encyclopedia. The computer serves as my source to finding all of my information. For me the computer has replaced newspapers, the television, and the library. I use the computer to create documents, banking, and obtain an education.
So you see technology plays a major role in my learning.

Reference:
Gardner, H. (2003, April 21). Multiple intelligences after 20 years. Paper presented to the American Educational Research Association, Chicago, IL. Retrieved from http://www.pz.harvard.edu/PIs/HG_MI_after_20_years.pdf

Gilbert, J., & Swanier, C. (2008). Learning styles: How do they fluctuate? Institute for Learning Styles Journal [Vol. l]. Retrieved from http://www.auburn.edu/~witteje/ilsrj/Journal%20Volumes/Fall%202008%20Volume%201%20PDFs/Learning%20Styles%20How%20do%20They%20Fluctuate.pdf