As this course draws to an end, I have been asked to reflect on the future of distance learning. As with any changes in today’s society, there will always be people who believe that change is not necessary or change does not bring about improvements. Yet as history has taught us change is inevitable if we as a society want to continue to grow and prosper, we must learn to embrace change. I believe distance learning is an important evolution in education that is not only being accepted but is thriving in our society despite some cynics who will only accept the face to face traditional course as an effective learning environment, but I do not think that this will stop the growth of distance learning. 

Future Perceptions:

Distance education is a dramatic idea. It may change, even restructure education but only if it is possible to make the experience of the distance learner as complete, satisfying, and acceptable as the experience of the local learner (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012). Dr. George Siemens maintains that growing acceptance of distance learning will be occur because the public will naturally increase usage of online communication tools, and become more comfortable conversing in an electronic format. As new technology makes steady gains in popularity, the use of online communication and eLearning tech­nologies is expected to increase dramatically in the next decade.  As stated by (Simonson, et. al 2012), “students of all ages are engaging in distance education.  I predict that in the next 5 to10 years, as more technological resources become available in regards to eLearning, more students will become involved in learning at a distance. Instructional designers should strive to understand eLearning technologies and technological approaches that will make the experience of distant learner positive and equivalent to the traditional classroom. 

How can an instructional designer, be a proponent for improving societal perceptions of distance learning?

When designing distance education the learners characteristics, needs, and expectations should all be taken into consideration since these factors influence a learners motivation to learn, and ultimately the learner success. In addition to factors that should be considered for designing effective instruction in general, several unique elements exist when considering the diversity of the distance learner. In order for an instructional designer to be a proponent for improving societal perceptions of distance learning, they must consider differences in age, experience, attitude, general abilities, prior knowledge, personal responsibilities, and learning styles. 

 As a future instructional designer of distance learning, understanding the design principles of multimedia and how to use the various mechanisms of text, graphics, audio, blogs, wikis, discussion forums, podcast, media sharing sites, animation, video, and web2.0 technologies successfully will help in motivating the distance learner and enable learning in a technological environment. In applying instructional design models such as “ADDIE” I will be able to effectively create courses that have the educational experiences equivalent to the experiences of the traditional learner. In this way, the public and society at large will see that online learning can be effective and beneficial to learning.

Final Thoughts:

In the past week I had an opportunity to interview three people in regards to their personal views of online learning and/or distance learning. I was very surprised that their views were clouded in myths and stereotypes in regards to socialization, communication, and learning in general in regards to online and distance learning. Prior to this experience, I thought that my contribution to educating people on the benefits of distance education was helping to sway the opinions of people close to me; I now realize that I need to work harder at it.  

I perceive that as more people begin to understand and explore the advantages and benefits of distance learning, for example, the convenience of learning in your own home, and the ability to tailor your own learning schedule, more people will move towards this form of learning. 

In conclusion, educational professionals and instructional designers are crucial to the growth of distance education. As people continue to become more comfortable in the use of eLearning technologies, the benefits and advantages of distance learning will become more appealing and more widely accepted. I envision distance education as a leading force in the future education for not just adults but all ages by promoting innovative learning beyond traditional classroom methods.  As I continue my journey towards becoming an instructional designer, I will keep in mind the importance of clear and open communica­tion between myself and all participants within the learning environment, and adhere to a strategic design process which includes critical elements of analysis, design, assessment, and evaluation in order to design effective learning environments. 

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

Converting to a distance 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.

In order to convert a traditional face-to-face learning environment to a distance learning environment or hybrid learning class, the instructional designer or instructor must understand that the online learning environment is quite different from face-to-face learning environment.  In converting traditional training to the online environment one cannot load information from the face to face course directly into a web format and expect it to be effective. The Equivalency Theory states that learning outcomes achieved through online learning need to be equivalent to the same learning outcomes as traditional learning. Local and distant learners have fundamentally different environments in which they learn. It is the responsibility of the distance educator to design, even over design, learning events that provide experiences with equivalent value for learners (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012). 

Pre-planning:

 

Preplanning strategies will have to be taken into account when designing the differences between distance learning and traditional face to face learning. 

·         What are some of the pre-planning strategies the trainer needs to consider before converting his program?

Planning is one of the most important phases for converting to an online format because it provides a foundation upon which to build the entire course. By using a standard instructional design process such as ADDIE, the designer will be able to examine the learner’s characteristic, instructional content, delivery method, technology considerations, and evaluation. Another design model for this situation would be Robert Gagne’s Nine Events of Instruction. Robert Gagne developed a systematic approach to instructional design that focused on learning outcomes that are measured in a change in behavior (Boettcher & Conrad, 2010). Use the link below to see the nine events of instruction in detail. 

 http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/learning/id/nine_step_id.html

  

 Preplanning Strategies:

 

1. Choose an online delivery system: a blended course would work best with this scenario. The instructional designer must identify the elements best delivered online versus the elements best delivered in a face to face environment. 

 

2. Who are the learners? Familiarize yourself with the learners of the course. There are three categories of learner traits, general characteristics (gender, age, ethnicity), specific entry characteristics (prerequisite skills), and learning skills( preferred ways of learning. By knowing about students preferences for learning provides a potentially valuable basis for designing instruction (Morrison, Ross, Kalman, & Kemp 2011).

3. Identify essential content: identify course goals and learning objectives and integrate online and offline activities. 

4. Provide an introduction and orientation, allow learners to familiarize themselves with the course and course tools. 

5.  Identify teaching strategies and technology to be used in the course: Shift focus from face to face lecture to visual presentations and identify tools for delivering visual media. 

6.  Design course activities. Implement activities that will keep the learners engaged and stimulate the need for further learning. 

7. Develop training for instructors, if necessary develop training sessions for other instructors who may be teaching the course in order to keep the course cohesive.

Access the below images for further information on Gagne’s Nine Events of Instruction.

·         What aspects of his original training program could be enhanced in the distance learning format?

A great aspect of this scenario is that there are training modules already in place. These modules can be converted into Prezi or PowerPoint presentations. These presentations can be uploaded to the CMS and provide the flexibility and access that the trainer wanted for the employees who would be able to view them numerous times and whenever they wanted.

View the below link for an example of a Prezi presentation:
 http://prezi.com/kmxlky7cmwqz/building-communication-skills/

The trainer could also take this time to evaluate the modules to see if the overall training goals are being met effectively, if not then modifications could be met early in the course. Incorporating engaging and critical thinking discussion post will also engage the students and provide a collaborative learning environment. 

·        How will his role, as trainer, change in a distance learning environment?

The instructor’s role will be that of the subject matter expert, but also one of coaching, mentoring, guiding, and directing learning in the online environment. The instructor’s role may change during the course of instruction to that of responding to questions, motivating and supporting students, creating and maintaining interaction between the trainees, and to assessing and evaluating the acquisition of knowledge.

·         What steps should the trainer take to encourage the trainees to communicate online?

One of the most effective techniques to promote interaction in distance education is the threaded discussion (Simonson, et, al, 2012). By creating a discussion area where students can post comments on topics and post questions for the instructor the learners will process, analyze, and make connections among ideas. The instructor can also encourage communication by asking students questions directly related to their post in the discussion forum. The instructor can also challenge the learners to do further research and respond to other student’s postings. All of this will encourage learning and online engagement. 

View the attached images for Best practices for converting face to face to blended learning.

 

Boettcher, J., & Conrad, R. (2010). The online teaching survival guide. San Fransico: Wiley.

 Clark, D. R. (2004). Robert Gagne's Nine Steps of Instruction. Retrieved Dec. 16, 2012 from http://nwlink.com/~donclark/leader/leader.html

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

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

The impact of open source

Open source software is intended to be freely shared and can be improved upon and redistributed to others (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012). The great thing about open source is that it allows learning environments to be shared by anyone interested in the information being disseminated.

 

When I looked further into the definition of open source, one resource is the Open Source Initiative (OSI) which is a non-profit corporation formed to educate and advocate the benefits of open source. OSI has developed the following criteria for the distribution of open source:

• ·         Free redistribution

• ·         Program must include source code and must allow distribution in source code.

• ·         License must allow modifications and allow them to distributed under the same terms.

• ·         Integrity of the authors source code.

• ·         No discrimination against persons or groups

• ·         No discrimination against fields of endeavor

• ·         The rights attached to the program must apply to all to whom the program is redistributed.

• ·         License must not be specific to a product

• ·         License must not restrict other software

• ·         License must be technology neutral (Open Source Initiative) 

I chose the open source site http://oyc.yale.edu/. The idea that Yale University would supply free education caught me by surprise. I chose a course related to something that has always held my interest HIST 119 The Civil war and reconstruction era, 1845-1877. The class that I was presented with did not seem to take the distance learners abilities into account. The class content included downloadable course assignments in PDF form, 27 recorded lectures with closed captioning and transcripts available through YouTube and ITunes, class syllabus, required textbooks, required assignments and the weighted grade percentages for the course. 

The class is set up basically like a lecture that is presented in a lecture hall. The class reflects the belief that teaching online is not much different from teaching in a face to face environment. Keep in mind that courses taught in traditional classrooms may need to be retooled The focus of the instructor shifts to visual presentation, engaged learners, and careful timing of presentations of information (Simonson, et al, 2012).

The technology tools presented were videos available through YouTube and ITunes with attaching transcripts. Although I was able to take notes it did not seem engaging. Too often instructors do not place enough emphasis on designing and using quality visual materials (Simson, et al, 2012). By taking time to use good visual media the quality of the learning experience will increase. 

There were no learning activities created within the course to help the learner remember the context of the course. The “kiss of death” for any distance course is the lack of student participation. Learners who are engaged in learning are actively participating in their own understanding of the content (Simonson, et al, 2012). 

The course home page is very simple with just basic information and the course meets some but not all of the five “abilities” that e-learning standards should enable:

·         Interoperability – system seems to works with any web browser.

·        Re-usability – learning objectives can be re-used.

·         Manageability – No tracking activities are available

·         Accessibility – learners do have access 24/7

·         Durability – Course only includes standard video recordings with no new technology tools presented. 

Although I enjoyed the lectures because of my passion fro history and the Civil War. I feel that the average distance learner would soon lose interest and not retain the course content. 

  

Open Source Initiative. (n.d.). The Open Source Definition. Retrieved from http://opensource.org/osd  

  

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