EDUC 6135 - Distance Education Reflection Assignment

The Future of Distance Education

           

            Distance education has come a long way since the early days of correspondence study where students would receive materials in the mail, fill them out, and then mail them back to be graded.  As technology has advanced so has the ability to create and employ effective distance education courses and programs (Simonson, Smaldino, & Zvacek, 2015).  These advances have required professionals that design and develop curriculum to think about new ways of offering programs that may have traditionally been classroom based (Pina & Mizell, 2014).  This evolution has brought us to the present where, in 2013, one study showed that 70% of institutions indicated that online instruction was critical to their long-term plans (Simonson, et al., 2015).  This is the picture today, but how will distance education fare in the future?

            According to Simonson, et al. (2015), there is evidence that suggests that students are increasingly demanding to be allowed to take courses at a distance.  This seems to pan out with other evidence that exists regarding distance education at all levels.  According to Berge and Clark (2009), virtual schools are becoming more and more important as a means of delivering education from kindergarten through college and graduate studies.  I believe that in the next 5-20 years, these kinds of institutions will become more and more prevalent and, as more and more students complete their education via distance, perception of the usefulness and effectiveness of distance education will continue to increase.  Evidence suggests that perceptions about distance education are already changing According to Allen & Seaman (2007) who state that the proportion of people who felt that online learning outcomes were superior to face-to-face learning outcomes increased 34% since 2003.  Since that study was published 9 years ago, that proportion has most increased even more (Simonson, Schlosser, & Orellana, 2011).

            As an instructional designer, one of the roles that can be filled is that of an ambassador for distance education.  According to Simonson, et al (2015), a majority of people currently state that they would prefer to take a course in a face-to-face environment as opposed to taking a course via distance education.  There are many reasons for this attitude among learners.  Some learners feel that they would not be able to handle the workload of a distance education course (Dobbs, Waid, & del Carmen, 2009).  Others feel that their learning style may not mesh well with a distance education format (Dabbagh & Bannan-Ritland, 2005).  Still others feel that they will not receive the interaction they need (both with the instructor and peers) to be successful (Simonson, et al., 2015).

            To be a proponent for improving these perceptions, the effective instructional designer will engage in the creation of effective courses.  To address the problem of students feeling as if they cannot handle the workload of a distance education course, instructional design must take into account the general abilities of the class (Simonson, et al., 2015).  As the “tablet” generation matures and begins taking courses via distance, an effective designer will take this into account when designing distance education.  In addressing the learner’s perception that their learning style may not mesh with distance education, effective designers will address multiple learning styles in their design and help learners understand the context of the learning experience (Morrison, Ross, Kalman & Kemp, 2013).  Finally, instructional designers must take into account how learners interact now and in the future.  This may be completely different than what see now but in order to increase positive perceptions of distance education, ID’s need to analyze the potential for learner interactivity (Simonson, et al., 2015).

            How will I be a positive force for continuous improvement in the field of distance education?  First and foremost, as an instructional designer, it is imperative to assess new and better technologies for distance education as they become available (Simonson, et al., 2015).  An example of this is the advent of affordable virtual reality systems like the Oculus Rift.  As an instructional designer, how could this be used in a distance education context?  Additionally, professional organizations such as EDUCAUSE provide annual conferences where new technologies and techniques are presented as well as smaller workshops relating to best practices.  Keeping abreast of an implementing these best practices will greatly increase my ability to be a positive force for continuous improvement in the field of distance education.

References

Allen, I. E., & Seaman, J. (2007). Making the grade: Online education in the United States,

            2006: Midwestern edition. Wellesley, MA: Sloan Consortium.

Berge, Z., & Clark, T. (2009). Virtual schools: What every superintendent needs to know.

Distance Learning, 6(2), 1-9.

Dabbagh, N., & Bannan-Ritland, B. (2012). Online learning: Concepts, strategies, and

application. Columbus, OH: Merrill/Prentice Hall.

Dobbs, R., Waid, C., & del Carmon, A. (2009). Students’ perceptions of online courses: The

effect of online course experience. Quarterly Review of Distance Education, 10(1), 9-26.

Morrison, G. R., Ross, S. M., Kalman, H. K., & Kemp, J. E. (2013). Designing effective

instruction (7^th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Pina, A. A., & Mizell, A. P. (2014). Real-life distance education: Case studies in practice.

            Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.

Simonson, M., Schlosser, C., & Orellana, A. (2011). Distance education research: A review of

the literature. Journal of Computing in Higher Education, 23(2), 124-142.

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., & Zvacek, S. (2015). Teaching and learning at a distance:

Foundations of distance education (6^th ed.). Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing,

Inc.