Application 3

 

In an effort to improve its poor safety record, a biodiesel manufacturing plant needs a series of safety training modules. These stand-alone modules must illustrate best practices on how to safely operate the many pieces of heavy machinery on the plant floor. The modules should involve step-by-step processes and the method of delivery needs to be available to all shifts at the plant. As well, the shift supervisors want to be sure the employees are engaged and can demonstrate their learning from the modules.

The learning environment for this scenario needs to meet specific components in order to successfully train the plant employees. The company requires the following safety training specifications: 

• ·         Step by step standalone modules

• ·         Best practices for safety

• ·         Training must be available to all shifts

• ·         Must engage and stimulate learning

• ·         Post course demonstration of learning objectives

Learning styles are traits that refer to how individuals approach learning task and process information. Simply put, some learners find certain methods of learning more appealing than others (Morrison, Ross, Kalman, & Kemp, 2011). Employees will present with diverse learning styles, so training modules must address the four learning styles: visual, audio, kinesthetic, and read/write. 

To address the poor safety record at the plant, I would create an asynchronous course management system (CMS).  Some advantages of online learning include:

·         Asynchronous course components are available 24 hours a day, at the learner’s convenience and are time – zone independent.  Learners can participate from work, home, or community locations.

     Course materials and activities are available through the web and once developed, are easy to update, providing students access to current information  (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012). 

 

The CMS that I have chosen is Coursesites which can be found at www.coursesites.com.  Couresites is an excellent way to utilize tools for asynchronous learning. Within coursesites there are collaboration tools to encourage student interaction through discussion boards, wikis and journals .As well as step by step safety training modules that show processes to complete the best practices, I would incorporate discussion forums as proof that the employees were participating in the modules.  Coursesites also has statistical reporting which will all the plants shift supervisors to track employee progress and how much time was spent on each module.

The second distance learning technology would be streaming video with closed captioning and transcripts. Employees would be able to view safety concepts and practices in real world scenarios and closed captioning can provided for the employees in more than one language.  In using a streaming video with closed captioning employees that learn through visual, read/write, and auditory components will be addressed. Learners will be able to access the instructional streaming video through www.youtube.com. 

In order to address learners that have kinesthetic learning styles I would incorporate interactive presentations. These interactive presentations would simulate real-world experience within the plant environment and engage the employee by using their everyday work skills.  Viewletbuilder 7 is a software tool that allows instructional designers the ability to build flash animation quickly and easily. Using this tool I could create an interactive training demo or simulation and either directly publish it to www.youtube.com or embed objects and sounds into PowerPoint presentations.  Viewletbuilder 7 also has the ability to embed quiz questions for a variety of different types of feedback which will allow the shift supervisors to gauge the final learning outcomes of the employees. 

Examples:

View an example of a streaming video on workplace safety: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ee2dpOETK1I

View an example of streaming video with step by step safety process: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xh08nOlpYY8

Closed captioning and translation is available for both videos. 

View an example of a video using Viewlet builder:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8PTNoCptd8

View an example of the features of Coursesites:

https://www.coursesites.com/webapps/Bb-sites-course-creation-BBLEARN/pages/index.html

References

Coursesites. (2012).Coursesites by Blackboard. Retrieved from

https://www.coursesites.com/webapps/Bb-sites-course-creation-BBLEARN/pages/index.html

Creative Commons. (2012). America History and Life (EBSCOhost 2.0 Version) Basic Search Tutorial. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8PTNoCptd8

MICCSIndiana09. (2012) Jobsite Pedestrian: Working Around Heavy Equipment. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ee2dpOETK1I

Morrison, G., Ross, S., Kemp, J., & Kalman, H. (2011). Designing effective instruction. (sixth ed.). Wiley.

PublicResourceOrg. (2012) Loading, Transporting & Unloading Heavy Equipment. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ee2dpOETK1I

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

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Defining Distance Education

 Personal Definition prior to starting this course. 

I had never really given much thought to the definition of distance learning prior to taking this course. I have to admit that my definition of distance learning was very limited. I considered distance learning as any type of learning where the student and educator are not in the same physical location.  The student can access any and all course work online at any time or place convenient to them with the aid of technology. Distance learning provides a flexible way for busy adults to return to school either to further their careers or earn a new degree. I have quickly realized the benefits of distance learning and the asynchronous classroom from my prior online course work and my current distance learning experience at Walden University. 

Distance learning was available for at least 160 years prior to the advent of electronic devices, and the use of telecommunications for education. This week’s learning resources stated that in 1873 Anna Eliot Ticknor designed a a mail correspondence course to encourage and allow women to further their education from home. This Society to Encourage Studies at Home attracted more than 10,000 students in 24 years. (Distance learning timeline continuum). I found this information very enlightening since I previously thought that distance learning was a new technology, only available since the arrival of the internet. 

Revised Definition after consulting course readings.

The course textbook and resource articles have greatly expanded my range of understanding of the term distance learning. Our course textbook, Teaching and Learning at a Distance defines distance education as an “institution-based, formal education where the learning group is separated, there interactive telecommunications systems are used to connect learners, resources and instructors”. (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, and Zvacek, 2012, p.32).  

After consulting our course learning resources I have revised my definition of distance learning. My new personal definition is as follows, distance learning is a formal learning environment that utilizes telecommunication devices such as the internet, mobile devices, television, and written communication in order to deliver information from an instructor to a student that is not in the same geographical location. Distance learning can be synchronous, that is it can occur at a set time by the instructor or asynchronous which is at the convenience of the learner. 

My vision for the future of Distance Learning.

The future of distance learning will continue to grow especially in the following sectors:

  

 1. Community colleges and universities, as so-called “non-traditional” students become an increasingly large segment of the student body at the post-secondary level, campus-based programs, residential or otherwise, may be leveling off in enrollment. Colleges and universities, therefore, see distance education as a way of sustaining growth (Huett, Moller, & Foshay, 2008, p. 66).

2.   In the business sector, many businesses are now using distance learning to train  employees without the expense of downtime at the office or travel expenses.

3.   In the U.S. military, this is due to the efficient way in which is it being used to deliver technical training to large groups of soldiers over vast geographic locations in a cost effective manner. 

4.  Virtual schools offering distance learning in the K-12 environment. The U.S. Department of Education has federally funded virtual school programs to improve instruction in math, science, foreign languages, literacy skills, and vocational education for underserved populations through the use of telecommunications networks (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, and Zvacek, 2012).  

I believe that distance learning will continue to grow and evolve at a rapid rate depending on new environments and technological advancements. Based on trends in education theories, the definition, breadth, and acceptance of distance education will continue to evolve (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, and Zvacek, 2012).  

Mind Map of definition of distance learning

“Distance Learning Timeline Continuum” Multimedia Program. Laureate Education.

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), 63–6 7.

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