Reflection Week 8

 

Reflection

Karen Wynn-Bell

Walden University

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EDUC 6135 Distance Learning

Dr. Ronald Paige

April 28, 2013

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reflection

 

Distance learning perceptions are varied and change over time. In the next five, ten and even twenty years distance learning will surely change and evolve. Along with this will be a change and evolution in the perceptions of distance learning, mostly as compared to traditional learning. According to Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, students of all ages are participating in distance education. Technology has evolved to allow a multitude of resources that are now available to learners (2012). I also believe that within ten to twenty years distance learning will be the norm for many institutions. 

As an Instructional Designer it is my responsibility to design effective, meaningful and precise instruction models that achieve the important goal of educating learners. The delivered education must be thorough so that all learning outcomes are truly achieved. I will focus on the advancements in the distance learning field in order to build solid courses that are based on learning theories to support the learner (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012).     

Today, there are many different technology tools that are able to address a multitude of learning abilities (Beldarrain, 2006). With the incorporation of simulations, interactivity and authentic learning experiences the distance learning environment will create a positive learning experience.  Activities such as these will allow students to create connections with prior learning experiences, construct new knowledge, demonstrate mastery and show creative problem solving abilities (Beldarrain, 2006). These learning environments must also foster interaction amongst students and instructors. “The more an instructor understands the members of the audience, the better the distance learning experience will be for all involved” (Moore & Kearsley, 1996).

            As an Instructional Designer it my responsibility to improve societal perceptions of distance learning and be a positive force by continuously improving my design and communication skills, conducting my personal and work habits with integrity and keeping current with developments in design and technology.

Additionally, Siemens (2010) states that the key challenge is to bridge the gap of comfort within learners so that they become comfortable learning at a distance. Siemens adds that of the students that he has questioned who have taken at least two online courses the majority of them tend to prefer distance learning to traditional learning (Siemens, 2010).

For Instructional Designers to be a positive force for continuous improvement in the field of distance education we must learn from the learners and use our designs to help drive the future of distance education. I can do this by creating instruction that not only meets the learning and performance requirements, but by also making the instructional models attractive, interesting, entertaining, in addition to incorporating the latest technologies available.

 

 

References

Beldarrain, Y. (2006 August). Distance education trends: Integrating new technologies to foster student interaction and collaboration. 27(2). p. 139-153. Retrieved from Academic Research Complete Database.

Moore, M.G. & Kearsley, G. (1996) Distance Education: A Systems View. Washington: Wadsworth Publishing Company.

Siemens, G. (2010).  The Future of Distance Education, Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer)  Baltimore, MD.

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

For this week's assignment we were to consider the following 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 as server so that the trainees have access to resources and assignments at all times."

Using a variety of resources, I put together a manual which would help encourage a blended learning environment instead of only a face-to-face environment.  I addressed the following questions:

     What are some preplanning strategies the trainer needs to consider?

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

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

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


Best Practices Guide for Distance Learning Facilitators

 

A successful learning system is composed a learning environment where students interact with one another and are able to produce the learning outcome. It is only with careful planning for this type of environment that student learning is achieved (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012). A critical process for instructional designers is to evaluate what works and what needs to be improved (Laureate, n.d.).

As we move through this guide, let’s remember distributed learning models combined with today’s technologies can actually provide more productive learning experiences for students. (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, Zvacek. 2012)

 

Preplanning Strategies: What are some of the pre-planning strategies you need to consider before converting your traditional class to a blended-learning class?

It is important to understand the differences between traditional learning and online learning.

As you prepare to teach a blended learning class you first need to consider what differentiates online learning from face-to-face learning. An important point to understand is that you cannot directly convert traditional training to online training. A variety of equivalent instructional approaches should be provided for student. The online learning environment needs to be equivalent in achieving the same learning outcomes as traditional learning.

There are four key differences between traditional and online facilitation (Piskurich, 2010). It is important to be aware of these as you plan your blended class:

1. Online is more difficult to know what your learners are doing and how they are doing. Connecting with them is even more important.

2. Activities and applications are the heart of an online course.

3. Content is critical but in the end it is the activities that help them learn the content.

4. You must build time into the implementation phase to think about and practice the role you will play in facilitating the online portions of your class.

According to Graham, Cagilty, Lim, Craner and Duffy, (2001) there are seven principles of effective teaching.

The seven principles are:

1. Communication with students

 

2. Collaboration among students

 

3. Active Learning Experiences

 

4. Prompt Feedback

 

5. Emphasize time on task

 

6. High Expectations

 

7. Respecting Diversity

 

 

 

 

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

All of the benefits of the online distance learning environment can be realized with the hybrid learning model in conjunction with the existing face-to-face traditional classroom

 A face-to-face learning environment used to encourage traditional instructor/student academic relationships and allow for instructor/student personal presentations as well as subject debates in a synchronous atmosphere. Whereas, technology is used to establish/maintain digital communication path between learner and facilitator provided through shared school resources or individual sources, thus creating asynchronous design which allows for time flexibility for learner and instructor.

Distance learning offers learners more opportunities in courses, formats, and methodologies and allows the learner to be autonomous in the selection of learning objectives or course projects (Moore, 1996).

The capital cost (monetary) is less for both the learner and facilitator when compared to traditional face-to-face degree programs (Simonson, 2009).

 

How will the training manager role change in a distance learning environment?

“The goal of instructional planning for distance education is to develop an approach that makes the sum of experiences for each learner equivalent. Instructional design procedures should attempt to anticipate and provide the collection of experiences that will be most suitable for each student or group of students.” (Simonson, et. al, 2012)

Facilitators must participate in all synchronous and asynchronous discussions and must show learners that they care about their success. (Piskurich, 2010) The instructor should examine the facilitation of the discussion and the goal is to build a community of understanding within the peer group to promote social learning. Students can develop learning skills to a certain maximum level or peak as individuals, but, we need social interaction with more knowledgeable peers in order to advance our problem solving skills to a higher level.

“It is the learner who needs to be considered early in the planning and implementation of a distance learning experience. The more and instructor understands the members of the audience, the better the distance learning experience will be for all involved” (Moore & Kearsley, 1996).

 

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

Facilitators should encourage the students to participate in meaningful debate by selecting a topic for discussion which directly relates to the weekly subject matter which is reinforced with the weekly resources. The facilitator should also encourage referenced information and always respond in an analytical and scholarly way. This reinforces academic professionalism and challenges the group to configure their responses to match the professional format used and promoted by the facilitator. The challenge is to configure discussion questions complex enough to provoke scholarly thinking and research while encouraging the learners to supplement the discussion with their individual learning experiences.

 

References:

 Graham, C., Cagilty, K., Lim, B., Craner, J., & Duffy, T. (2001). Seven Principles of Effective Teaching: A Practical Lens for Evaluating Online Courses. Technology Source., Retrieved from ERIC Database.

Moore, M.G. & Kearsley, G. (1996) Distance Education: A Systems View. Washington: Wadsworth Publishing Company.

Piskurich, G. (2012).  Facilitating Online Learning Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer)    Baltimore, MD.

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning at

a distance: Foundations of distance education (5th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson

Image Credits

123rf.com Retrieved from: http://www.123rf.com/search.php?word=effective+teaching&imgtype=0&t_word=&t_lang=en

Open Course Analysis

Open Course Analysis

The open course site I have chosen to analyze for the Walden 6135 Distance Learning assignment is Open Yale Courses: A free open course offering a number of introductory courses taught by Yale University professors. Website: http://oyc.yale.edu/

Does the course appear to be carefully pre-planned and designed for a distance learning environment? How

so?

Yale's open course sight provides a lot of different subjects and classes to choose from. "The Online courses are designed for a wide range of people around the world, among them self-directed and life-long learners, educators, and high school and college students. The integrated, highly flexible web interface allows users, in effect, to audit Yale undergraduate courses if they wish to. It also gives the user a wide variety of other options for structuring the learning process, for example downloading, redistributing, and remixing course materials.

Each course includes a full set of class lectures produced in high-quality video accompanied by such other course materials as syllabi, suggested readings, and problem sets. The lectures are available as download able videos, and an audio-only version is also offered. In addition, searchable transcripts of each lecture are provided." (Yale University, 2013).

 

Does the course follow the recommendations for Online instruction as listed in your course textbook?

The Masie Center (2002, p.8) identified five "abilities" that e-learning standards should enable. They are:

1. Interoperability: Can the system work with any other system? Yes, Yale's open courses will work with other systems as it is the goal of its "Open Educational Resources (OER) initiative, launched in 2001, funded by the Hewlett Foundation to use information technology to help equalize access to knowledge and educational opportunities across the world"(Yale University,2013).



2. Reusability: Can courseware (learning objects, or "chunks) be
re-used? Yes. Yale uses a 'Creative Commons' Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 license."This license permits the free use or re-purposing of the Open Yale Courses material by others. Under this license you are allowed to download and redistribute the Open Yale Courses materials or remix, tweak, and build upon this material to produce new lectures or other type of creations. To be allowed to do so, however, your use of the material must be non-commercial and you must credit Yale [and the appropriate Yale faculty member] as the originators of the material. Additionally, you must license any new use of the Open Yale Courses material under identical terms. For more information on the scope of the Creative Commons license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us/." (Yale University, 2013).

3. Manageability: Can a system track the appropriate information about the learner and the content?: Yale's Open Course website has a third party who tracks information about the learner. Under terms of use, a user will find the following: "The Open Yale Courses website tracks website usage information about visitors through a third-party software which does not reside on the Open Yale Courses servers. The information collected and logged on our behalf through this technology does not collect personally identifiable information such as name, email address or mailing address, but does use information such as IP address to determine general information such as duration of visit and location of user.

Yale will not share personal information gathered on this website with any other parties, except as is reasonably determined to be required by law or by governmental authority, or as necessary to provide services in accordance with the Terms of Use and/or Course License Agreement. It is Yale's intention to protect against improper use of personal information. Please visit the following website for further information: http://www.yale.edu/privacy.html"

4. Accessibility: Can a learner access the appropriate content at the appropriate time?: There are no time constraints regarding Yale's Open Courses. They are learn as you go and are not available for university/college credits. If your internet is working and their site is not experiencing any technological issues, accessing content when you want it should not be a problem.

5. Durability: Will the technology evolve with the standards to avoid obsolescence? The goal of Yale's Open Courses is to continue to help equalize access to knowledge and educational opportunities across the world"(Yale University, 2013). The Open Yale Courses are supported by a grant from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation in Menlo Park, CA. I am sure that as long as there is funding to do so, Yale's open courses technology will continue to evolve.

Did the course designer implement course activities that maximize active learning for the students?

Yes. The classes offer students an option to participate in discussion board activities, create blogs, and even listen to music through podcasts. There are also the traditional readings and writing of reports as a student in a regular brick and mortar school would complete.

Open courses are a great way for learners of all ages to increase their knowledge and inspire their interests.

 

References:

Masie Center. (2002) Making sense of learning specifications & standards: A decision-maker's guide to their adoption. Saratoga Springs, NY: The Masie Center. Available online at http://www.masie.com/standardsS3_Guide.pdf

Open Yale Courses: A free open website offering a number of introductory courses taught by Yale University professors. http://oyc.yale.edu/

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

 

Selecting Distance Learning Technologies

Collaborative Training Environment:

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.

Technology Advances

With the advancements in technology over the past several years, the way we do things have significantly changed. Technology has provided places for students to learn outside of the traditional classroom setting. "As new technologies emerge, instructional designers and educators have unique opportunities to foster interaction and collaboration among learners, thus creating a true learning community. The existence of distance education relies on the creation of learning communities", according to Palloff and Pratt (in Beldarrin, 2006). Being asked to train staff members that are seperated throughout six different office locations, it is vitally important to select the most effective learning tools to deliver instruction.

Instructional Designer’s Role:

Since the staff members are not at the same location and are unable to meet at the same time the best solution is to hold the training sessions in an asynchronous learning environment. Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek (2012) outlines “online activities for students should have specific course management purposes”. The training should focus on specific tasks and provide authentic learning experiences. Simonson, Smaldino, Albright & Zvacek (2012) also state that, “learning experiences should be provided to each learner whether local or distant, and the expectation should be that the equivalent outcomes, rather than identical, should be expected of each learner”. When creating a classroom an instructional designer should consider using Web 2.0 tools to make the most of learning outcomes.

Before creating any classes or lessons, an instructional designer should begin with a needs assessment. This needs assessment should be given to the employees and the corporation and will help guide the development of the course. Questions for the employees could include the following:

1. What experience have you had using technology?

2. How, when and were do you use technology?

3. What kind of technologies do you use and/or are you comfortable with?

4. What is your learning style? Do you consider yourself to be a visual, auditory, hands on or a combination of these?

5. What software programs are you familiar with?

6. What is your personal opinion of technology?


Questions for the corporation could include the following:

1. What are the learners’ backgrounds?

2. What knowledge, skills, and technology literacies are the learners familiar with?

3. What are their demographics?

4. What attitudes do the employees hold about technology?

5. Do the learning styles of the students differ?

6. How is technology used within the corporation?

7. What types of instructional practices would you like to see used in the course? What does this look like, small group learning, collaborative learning?

8. What specific technologies or tools does your company use?



After conducting the needs assessment and analyzing the results the instructional designer can move onto designing a solution for the corporation.

Designing a Solution:

There are many options for distance learning technologies that can be used to train these employees. The module should be designed to support the learners’ abilities, interests and learning styles. Although, you may not be able to please all of the learners all of the time with the module design, learners will be able to relate with what they are comfortable with. To facilitate this type of training, the instructional designer should attempt to present the module using auditory, verbal, and reading/writing as instructional tools. Including games, auditory and video media as well as computer assisted video will enhance the training module.

One of the Web 2.0 tools that could be used in this design model is a Wiki Wikis are an appropriate fit for a collaborative learning environment. Learners are able to edit pages, have ongoing conversations that are similar to discussion threads, work at their own pace, allow them to have the flexibility to read and work within an environment that works for them. Within a wiki, learners can also work collaboratively on projects. (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright & Zvacek, 2012).

Another technology that could be use for videos is YouTube. (www.youtube.com) The module can incorporate movie and picture files to demonstrate sequences needed to be followed by the learner in order to use the new operating system. Videos cater to the various learning preferences that are encountered in a learning environment, and they bring about a social presence in the classroom. Videos also make the module more engaging by offering visual images to help grab students' attention.

Technology has brought the traditional classroom to new levels within the last 20 years. The growth and success of distance education is closely linked to the design and quality of learning that has been enabled through technology (Siemens, 2002). It is the instructional designers’ responsibility to serve the learning needs of the student by providing effective instruction and interaction among students (Siemens, 2002). Learning using technology allows everyone an opportunity to learn, regardless of their location.






References:

Beldarrain, Y. (2006). Distance education trends: Integrating new technologies to foster student interaction and collaboration. Distance Education, 27(2),139–153.

Siemens, G. (2002, September 2). Instructional design in elearning. Retrieved March 17, 2012 from: http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/InstructionalDesign.htm

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

Defining Distance Learning

After a few years teaching in an elementary school setting with just a Bachelor’s Degree and not making enough money to survive, I knew eventually I would have to go back to school and get a Master’s Degree. When I began looking at where to get that degree, I looked at traditional universities where I would go to class in a brick and mortar classroom and spend 60 to 90 minutes a day perhaps up to twice a day 5 times a week in a face to face class. I also looked into the non-traditional universities who had you sitting in class from 8am to 5pm one weekend a month.  Both of these options were nauseating to me. Although the “younger” part of me wanted to go back to the days of college partying, I am past that point in my life and realize I need to get a Master’s degree to help me advance in the education field and financially.

When I came across Walden University, I was ecstatic about being able to complete all of my education from the comfort of my home and home computer.  I was sold.  Walden was going to give me the option to take advantage of distance education where I completed all of my lessons and classes from home.  I was also confident in Walden’s ability to offer an education opportunity that would benefit my career. 

I completed my first Walden Master’s in Education with an emphasis in Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment. However, due to budget cuts within state funding for education, Curriculum Resource Teachers and other positions in which this degree would come into play were now non-existent.

After talking with my brother who a SME for Boeing as well as some of his friends who are IDs they told me I could do the ID job.  Many of the IDs were former teachers. They explained to me what their job was and how it was done. I knew then, that yes I could do their job and I decided at that time to go back to Walden and pursue the ID degree. 

Now that I am working and learning from a virtual school environment, I am amazed at the perception that uneducated people have regarding distance education. Everyone assumes that because I work and learn from home, I do nothing except sit at my computer desk eating Bon-Bons.  What these people need to realize is that unlike other distance education efforts that have had a limited impact or fizzled out, online learning has the potential to become a large and permanent part of our education system (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, and Zvacek (2012).  With ongoing technological advances, virtual learning is here to stay.

So my revised definition of distance learning, I believe it is being able to access your courses and lessons, anytime, anywhere on the technology of your choosing.   It is an ongoing effort where you can put in 100% of your time and attention if you are taking classes through a university that have a specific due date and time, or you can tone down the amount of time and attention your distance education required based upon your own needs and wants. 

It is the belief of Moller, Huett, Foshay and Coleman (2008) that many of the education courses lack adequate instructional design for a sufficient learning environment. This is due to the fact that the faculty lacks the necessary training in instructional design or distance education itself. Training is an ongoing process. When designing classes and lessons, the instructor must take in to account the specific needs of the learners and the technology needed to facilitate learning.  Focusing on specific learner needs is something I do daily as an elementary teacher, so why not transfer that knowledge to the field of Instructional Design.

Repeated studies have shown that distance education is just as effective as face to face instructions (Simonson et al., 2012).  However, one of the key challenges for instructional designers and teachers is to help students feel comfortable with the online classroom.  (Siemens, 2010). One of the ways to encourage socialization in the classroom is through interactive discussion postings amongst classmates.  Having online interactions with another “person” makes the virtual world seem less lonely.

I believe there is a huge future in Instructional Design. I am hoping to be able to use my Curriculum Masters along with my ID degree to find the “perfect” job for me which allows me to combine both worlds. Perhaps it will be a job in creating future distance education courses.

 

References:

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.

Siemens, G. (2010). The Future of Distance Education. Presented for Laureate Education, Inc. Retrieved March 10, 2013, from https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsptab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_2095296_1%26url%3D