Reflection
Considering distance education has been around since at least 1833 when European newspapers conducted examination courses through mail correspondence for courses in composition, language, and civil service (Distance Learning Timeline Continuum, n.d) and has steadily evolved since then, I can only see positive things in regards to the future of distance education. This doesn’t mean it will be easy or integrated in a mainstream fashion right away.
According to a study from 2011 “over 6.7 million students were taking at least one online course during the fall 2011 term, an increase of 570,000 students over the previous year” (Changing Course: Ten Years of Tracking Online Education in the United States, n.d), this report also found that “seventy-seven percent of academic leaders rate the learning outcomes in online education as the same or superior to those in face-to-face” (Changing Course: Ten Years of Tracking Online Education in the United States, n.d) which gives distance education continued hope for the future. If students are increasingly taking courses and the percentage of people who understand that traditional face to face classes and distance classes can provide you with the same content and academic fulfillment, distance education will continue to improve and evolve.
As an instructional designer, I can be huge proponent for improving societal perceptions of distance learning by designing effective courses. I can do this by designing my courses using appropriate instructional design strategies based off of theory and creating my courses to meet the needs of my learners. This takes into consideration the Equivalency Theory that suggests it is the “responsibility of the distance educator to design, even overdesign, learning events that provide experiences with equivalent for learners” (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012, p.52).
When these factors are implemented into the design of a course and students are successful and retain the information and key ideas that the courses’ objectives were created to meet, the domino effect will occur and people will start to understand that distance education can be equivalent to that of traditional courses and may even be more rigorous and substantial than that of traditional courses.
Another way that I can be a proponent of distance learning is to be a good worker/employee once I graduate and to use the information I obtained from my degree that was achieved online. When I can prove to others that the time I spent achieving this degree from an online college was worthwhile and I am an equal employee to those who received their degree traditionally, it might break down some stereotypes and barriers that have been placed on distance education courses.
To be a positive force for continuous improvement in the field of distance education, I need to continue to educate myself about learning theory, distance learning practices, and instructional design in general. It is important to also stay ahead of the game in regards to design, meeting the needs of your learners, incorporating beneficial technology into your courses, and staying connected with the educational community. Another way is to facilitate people’s interactions or experiences with the four components that feed the growing acceptance of distance which are (Siemens, n.d): increase in online communication, practical experiences with new tools, growing comfort with online discourse, and the ability to communicate with diverse global groups. If experiences in these areas are provided, the benefits of distance education will become more apparent.
Reference
Changing Course: Ten Years of Tracking Online Education in the United States (n.d). Retrieved from https://sloanconsortium.org/publications/survey/changing_course_2012
Distance Learning Timeline Continuum (n.d). Laureate Education, Inc. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_4198205_1%26url%3D
Simonson, M. (Actor). (n.d). The Future of Distance Education [Motion picture]. Walden University.
Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (5th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.