Educ 6135: What is distance learning?
Before starting this course, my definition of “distance learning” was any learning that takes place when the teacher and student are separated by space and time. I’ve taken quite a few online classes as an undergraduate student, and now I’m attending an entirely online university. In addition, I am currently teaching middle school students in a virtual charter school. You could say that I have a pretty good grasp on what distance education entails.
After reading this week’s course resources, I learned that the definition of distance learning has been evolving throughout the years (centuries, even!), and it can even vary depending on who’s writing the definition. There are several driving factors behind this continually evolving idea of distance learning: first, technology. As we have moved from correspondence courses by mail to lectures broadcast on cable television to fully online programs, the definition of distance learning changes to encompass each new technology. Today, if I looked into a distance learning program, I would not expect to mail my handwritten essays to a teacher to be graded. Another factor that affects the definition of distance learning is personal experience – we each have our own ideas of how distance education works. My perception as a virtual teacher AND student is probably different from someone who is just a student…I believe that student/teacher interaction, for example, is very important, but some higher education students in online classes might not feel that this is important.
Following this reflection on the changing nature of distance learning, I still believe my definition is much the same. According to Dr. Michael Simonson (2010), distance education includes distance teaching and distance learning and can be defined as “formal education in which the learning group (teacher, students, resources) are separated by geography and, sometimes, by time” and where technology provides the link between teacher and learner.
Self-Study vs. Distance Education
I found it interesting that Simonson makes the distinction between “self-study at a distance” and distance education – he states that if the student is learning from an online source on his or her own, then it’s not really distance education according to his definition. I think this is something worth thinking about further. In my experience as a distance teacher, much of the curriculum is delivered to the students via the learning management system, and the student works independently to master the material. I help the student along this path, but often he/she is learning the material without my assistance.
As a student, I have seen that the Walden courses in this program are all very similar in layout and content, leading me to assume that the teachers aren’t creating and delivering the course content, but rather facilitating my learning through discussion and assignment feedback. This, in my opinion, is still distance education, even though I am primarily learning the content on my own. To me, it’s similar to a teacher assigning a reading assignment from the textbook - the student is learning the material on his/her own, but it’s still considered teaching, right? While I believe that teacher interaction is a key part of a good educational experience, I think it’s possible to design self-study modules or lessons that still fit the definition of distance education.
The Future of Distance Education
“Distance education is going to increase dramatically” over the next few years, according to Simonson (2010). I think this is a pretty safe bet. No, distance learning won’t replace traditional schools, but it will become a widely accepted alternative type of education. I think distance learning will become more and more common as an educational option for k-12 students, especially those students who don’t thrive in a brick-and-mortar classroom – as an example, in the 2010-2011 school year, Indiana had just a few hundred students in a virtual pilot charter school, but the very next year, enrollment jumped to almost 2000! Students and parents are looking for more flexible options for schooling, and distance learning is going to play a big part. I think there will certainly be some controversy and resistance, especially as charter schools gain more ground, since they compete with public schools for funding (Huett et. al, 2008).
I also think that distance learning will be incorporated more into the traditional school model – perhaps rural schools will offer advanced classes from an online source, or students will use a learning management system to collaborate with students at other schools. We’ve seen in the corporate world that distance has little effect on business….in the near future, I think it will be the same for education.
References:
Laureate Education, Inc.. (2010). Distance Learning: The Next Generation. Boston, MA: Michael Simonson, PhD.
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.
(I know the mind map is difficult to read. I'm working on fixing it, but we're leaving on very short notice for a funeral, and I don't know what kind of internet access I'll have while I'm gone. this might have to be good enough.)
