The History of Distance Education
Prior to starting this ‘Distance Education’ course, I had a very narrow definition of what distance learning/online learning/e-learning was. When I thought of distance education, I thought of simply Blackboard. My understanding of online learning included the idea of discussion groups and assignments, which were completed on your own and on your own terms. My only experience of this type of learning was when I was in college and I had to complete a few of my assignments through Blackboard. The course took place in a classroom; the teacher just had us turn in a few papers using this method, it wasn’t a true distance learning course. During this week’s multimedia program ‘Distance Learning Timeline Continuum’, I came to find out that Blackboard was first introduced in 2006, which was around the time this course took place. I also came to find out while reviewing the ‘Distance Learning Timeline Continuum’ how long this practice has actually been in place. I was mind boggled thinking back to the time when people learned through mail correspondence (1833) and participated in radio courses (1922). I realized how long distance learning has been occurring and how each time there is an advance in technology it changes the path of the definition of distance learning and what the future holds.
The way that I view distance learning after reading the week’s resources has changed. I still have the same thoughts regarding discussion groups and assignments, but my knowledge has grown and the complexity of distance education has become more apparent. I learned about the four main components of distance education, stating that distance education is: institutionally based, there is separation of teacher and student, interactive telecommunication is used, and the sharing of data, voice, and video (learning experiences) (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright & Zvacek, 2012, p.33). I also realized the importance of distance education and how environmentally friendly it can be, how economic it is in regards to training purposes, and how colleges and universities “see distance education as a way of sustaining growth” (Moller, Foshay, & Huett, 2008, p.66). Distance education also provides users with synchronous and asynchronous environments, making learning flexible.
In the future, I see distance education expanding profoundly with the developments in technology. It started through mail correspondence, moved to radio courses, to web 2.0, and so on. Distance education will provide people with an education that is rich in experience and will facilitate advancement in the educational world. We need to remember to change with the time and to create curriculum and courses that are specific and individualized for the learners and for the environment in a professional manner.
References
Distance Learning Timeline Continuum. [Multimedia Program]. Walden University.
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. (2012). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (5th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.