The Future of Distance Learning

            Distance education has the potential to expand and reach more people around the world.  Bridging the gap of comfort by users is the reason that distance learning will grow and expand over the next decade advises to Siemens, (Laureate Education, 2010).  Every person has an experience with technology and that experience drives their opinions about distance learning.  While currently there are a wide array of opinions about the quality, rigor and value of distance learning it is more accepted today than five years ago or even ten years ago.  I believe this trend will continue as more and more corporations, government agencies and universities create distance-learning courses that have rigor and are of high quality (Laureate Education, 2010).  Instructional designers (ID) are the driving force behind distance-learning courses and as an ID I plan to explain how distance-learning courses are created and seek to prove that the courses are not thrown together and are actually highly planned and intentionally designed for delivery online.  The principles and theories that I have learned about delivering content online will aid me in being a positive force while I create instruction while at the same utilizing technology and constantly looking for another way to enhance learning through technology. 

            In five to ten years more people will accept distance learning as equivalent to face-to-face learning as long as the courses that are created have reliable content that provides rigor and pushes students past the knowledge stage of learning.  Often times I have heard comments from coworkers that online learning is so easy because it does not require synthesis of materials.  I myself have witnessed that in classes that I took online 5 years ago.  However, I like to remind them that times have changed and with time have come new technologies that allow content to be delivered in many ways that requires students to consider content using higher levels of thinking.  I like to provide them with samples from my own courses which require reading a book, several articles, watching a streaming video, interactive discussion boards that connect to content and further research and culminating will a project or assignment that requires even further analysis of the information to form opinions and write a paper. 

In ten to twenty years I think the conversation will change drastically to not the quality of distance learning but the quality of face-to-face instruction.  I have already seen a shift in universities who are trying to be more student-centered instead of instructor-centered with their courses.  That is a slow process and requires teacher buy in and even more time to create courses in that manner.  Online courses are naturally student-centered so many times students feel they are getting more out of the class without the annoyances of an actual class.  So within the next ten to twenty years I think the brick and mortar institutions will have to change their classes drastically and incorporate the use of technology even in face-to-face classes as I believe society will expect the two to be combined.  The technologies that will be created in the next ten to twenty years will also drive the distance-learning environment and will change the look and feel of even today’s most inventive classes (Laureate Education, 2010).  I hope that the CMSs are more user-friendly and easier to access on multiple devices, of courses, that would be in my five-year plan if I was in charge of an institution.  Changes happen quickly in technology and that is probably the hardest part about distance-learning; harnessing the power of technology that exists while always keeping a watchful eye on the next thing that will enhance the learning environment and delivery of instruction.

            Society’s perceptions often lag behind what is actually happening in many aspects of society and distance learning is no different.  Siemens explains that as people become more aware of different technologies and have more experience communicating through online environments the perception of distance learning will change (Laureate Education, 2010).  As an ID it is imperative that the conversations I have with people are delivered in a way that is easy for non-education people to understand.  I think that people are looking to ensure that the online classes are as challenging and valuable as the face-to-face instruction received at traditional Universities.  While at the same time the student are being prepared socially.  With a generation of gamers in their twenties and early thirties (a little bit of a stretch) some aspects of social interaction has been lost.  As a teacher, I have even seen the high school students that I teach not know how to properly formulate a question out loud or not understand the social requirements of personal space.  That is where as an ID I think more work needs to be done and as a proponent of online learning I have to discuss the positive aspects of the classes and ways to solve the challenges.  As online learning increases it is imperative that the students are prepared with not only content and minimal interpersonal group communications but that the social aspect be planned into the curriculum.

            Using theories and principles that work well online I can take a step toward creating quality courses.  I would like to look more at the social aspect and the usability aspect of the online courses as that disconnect in curriculum hinders the graduates looking for jobs.  For example, interviewing in person is very different than practicing online or with someone you know.  I believe that the future of technology may hold the answer to the social and usability difficulties but in the meantime I would like to create courses that utilize different types of interaction.  I like discussion boards but at the same time and often times the responses from classmates are less helpful in furthering my understanding and more than half of the professors I have had only responded to a few people in the class. While, Dr. Fenton, you are not one of those professors, the comments you leave make me think at a higher level or deeper into what I wrote.  It pushes me, that is important and that is why your class has been rewarding.  Many classes I feel as though I am on my own and occasionally I will hear from the professor directly as they respond to a posting but otherwise the grade gets posted.  The comments left at grading are minimal as well so I feel as though I “hope” I got it.  That is definitely disheartening as learning and an important aspect to online learning that needs additional work.  In addition to the social and business aspects of preparing people I think as an ID I would like there to be more rigor requirements on the professor’s part as well.  Not to implement more assignments or grade harder but that the professor should partake in the class as if we were in the same room.  If I was in a face-to-face course and responded to a discussion question aloud I highly doubt the professor would skip over me and ten others and then answer the twelfth person.  Everyone partakes and that is the aspect face-to-face that I actually miss the most. 

            Society’s view of distance learning is important but as society becomes more familiar with technology distance learning will grow and thrive in the next two decades.  As an ID I play a pivotal role in being an outspoken advocate for distance learning and by being able and willing to explain what distance learning is all about my conversations can affect the future of distance learning.  Understanding the flaws in distance learning can also help in order to create courses that strive to solve those flaws.  By seeing distance learning for what it is and looking into the future the types of technologies that have not been invented yet will only enhance distance learning and help public accept distance learning more readily than they do now.

 

References:

Laureate Education. (2010). The future of distance education. Video Program. Retrieved on October 27, 2012 from https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_1373692_1%26url%3D