Distance learning to me has always meant independent learning. That means the ability to learn on your own time, at your own pace. I remember commercials and advertisements for correspondence schools where you could learn a multitude of “trade” careers on your own, by ordering the materials and submitting the exams by mail. I would have to say that distance learning has vastly changed since those days. The Internet opened up a world of opportunities for the “non-traditional” student to advance their education without having to spend their time in a traditional classroom.
According to Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, (2009) in Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education distance learning is “institution- based, formal education where the learning group is separated, and where interactive telecommunications systems are used to connect learners, resources and instructors” (p. 32). They also go on to list the four components needed in order for learning to be considered distance learning: it is institutionally based, the teacher and the student are geographically separated, interactive telecommunications allow for synchronous or asynchronous learning, and learners, resources and instructors are connected so that learning can occur. This is a more detailed description than I would have ever thought of before embarking on my educational journey.
I never realized that distance learning occurred outside of an educational setting. Not spending time in the corporate world for an extended period of time never afforded me the opportunity to learn about how distance learning could benefit a large corporation. My only experience was face-to-face training, and even as the trainer, I felt it was an arduous unnecessary training. There was no evaluation other than a smile sheet and language barriers were never taken into consideration. E-learning in the corporate setting is starting to be embraced because it cuts down on delivery costs, is instantly available, and all employees have access to it immediately. “These benefits far outweigh the relatively high up-front cost of training development using e-learning” (Moller, Foshay, & Huett, 2008, p. 70).
Being in education and being a distance learner myself I understood the usefulness of e-learning. What I never considered was all of the detail that goes into creating an effective and purposeful online learning course. Being pretty tech savvy, I figured that developing an online class would be as easy as taking what I know and putting it online. I have since come to realize that designing an online learning course involves more design and thought than I ever imagined. “Taking what one is familiar with and/or using what works in one environment and simply duplicating it in a new environment can lead to limited positive results” (Moller, Foshay & Huett 2008, p. 67). I am learning in every course I take how true that is.
As distance and e-learning evolve, I see more of this type of learning as becoming an integral part of education and training. As technology advances, more opportunities arise to learn electronically. E-learning is more cost effective, less time consuming, and the learner can learn at their own pace. Colleges and Universities that offer distance learning as a part of their program, can sustain growth and increase their financial gains. As corporations spread to global market, e-learning allows them to train many people in many different places, and not lose productivity due to mass trainings of employees at the same time. K-12 institutions are offering more courses online, especially for the student with outside circumstances that prevent them from attending a traditional school. K-12 virtual schools are also becoming a viable alternative for nontraditional students who want an alternative to traditional school. As an ID, it is essential for me to be able to grow with this trend and develop the most effective learning for whichever setting I am designing learning.
Resources
Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Huett, J. (2008). The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the web (Part 1: Training and development). TechTrends, 52(3), 70–75.
Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Huett, J. (2008). The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the web (Part 2: Higher education). TechTrends, 52(4), 66–70.
Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2009). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (4th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.
Link to mind map http://www.webspirationpro.com/view/982844a29cfd
Link to mind map http://www.webspirationpro.com/view/982844a29cfd
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