Distance education seems to be a new idea to most people, including educators of today (Simonson, 2012). However, the concepts that form the basis of this type of education are more than a century old - 160 years old to be exact. More often, educators are using technology to increase the access of the distant learner to the local classroom, to improve access of all learners to resources, and to make the experience of the remote student comparable with the experience of the local learner. Distance education and learning in a nutshell is the separation of the student and teacher, however it is institutionally based education available to students utilizing technology. Businesses, companies and corporations are offering instruction at a distance and virtually and have for quite some time, however there are still some misconceptions that should be clarified.
In our society, although face-to-face communication had been one of the primary ways for communicating, nowadays, people have started to communicate online significantly connecting people to one another, through the use of social media tools, and the likes. This evidence of meaningful relationships has proven that with in an increase in comfort levels around technology, the more accepted distance learning has become (Siemens, 2012). The perception of online learning in general has become more widely accepted due in part to the fact that it is more widely known than it was many years ago. Siemens suggests that more online communication significantly connects people more and thus people accepts concept of distance and being in different places more than they had before (2101). Global diversity has become a trend with distance education because people are not geographically restricted to performing tasks that in the past would have been performed in face-to-face, like distributed teams located in multiple places and usually not in the same, which allows for collaborative efforts in spite of distance. Businesses and corporations have played a huge role in the putting distance learning “on the map” as they continue to look for ways to cut costs on training, travel, and virtual meetings that have essentially brought people together in spite of their location. The challenge for education is to emulate the success of distance learning in the business sector. Schools must determine the importance of distance learning and ascertain the needs and resources available in order to gain the advantages of distance learning (Bingham, et. al, 2006)
Siemens (2012) states that five years ago most were still grappling with the usage of Skype, now greater contributions around the use of multimedia that has been revolutionized that allows for better interaction in online environments. Most learners find that online learning is preferable once there is a certain comfort level with doing so and the business an corporate environments have played a huge part in that happening. There has been increased acceptance because society has grown accustom to the usage of technology and the advances of technology that are utilized for both professional and personal needs. I would attribute the level of comfort in using these tools to the introduction of Web 2.0 tools that most of us are using on a daily basis, quite often referred to as Apps, than can be accessed on via our Smartphones and/or laptops, regardless of the operating system. With this emerging phenomenon and the wide-spread usage of Web 2.0 tools, cloud computing technology, and more skilled and trained instructional designers, I can imagine that the world of distance learning will grow exponentially and will become the preferred method of education for most. There are potential cost savings in comparison to traditional education, to mention programs are becoming more sophisticated and as competitive as traditional courses, and it is my belief that the stigmas will go away once there is more data to support the assertions that distance learning is just as good if not better.
As with anything else that receives a great deal of attention and scrutiny as distance learning programs have, while there are some
commendations, there will also be downsides and critique. The negative perception that people have about distance learning are that they:
-lack of rigor,
-lack of face-to-face interactions,
-increased potential for academic dishonesty,
-association with diploma mills,
-concerns about online students’ true commitment evident from regularly venturing to a college or university physical location, considered by some to be an important part of the educational experience.
I think instructional designers can play a huge part in dispelling the negatives and the bad perception that society has about distance learning, of course not all cases, but the areas where they can make the most impact and influence on people. The rigorousness of a program can have all to do with planning and designing the program in alignment with current guidelines to ensure that students get the right training. Also, academic institutions must do their part to ensure that good quality materials are information is being taught in their courses and that they are offering courses that are above standards. Finally, as an ID I think that just like teachers are required continuing education type of courses to stay current in their skills, the same must apply for ID’s and many others that work in education. I think in 5-10 years as universities, businesses, and ID’s get a better grasp on distance learning and work through some the of the issues and perceptions that we face, like ensuring that students in rural and poor areas are afforded the same learning opportunities as we move further into the technology age, distance learning will become familiar to everyone. It may even be a more common choice that students will make for higher education and perhaps K-12 as well. As educational administrators begin to grapple with the issues of equity and access, technological expertise, quality of learning, financial constraints, and needs of remote learners in their efforts to implement distance learning technologies, an over-arching matter that needs to be addressed is the facilitation of the change process. The future of distance learning technologies in education will be most influenced by the manner in which educational administrators handle the change process (Bingham, et.al, 2006). I think 10-20 years from now, corporations global presence and reach will expand much further than what it currently does. In fact, I think the U.S. will continue to work with other countries to set the standards education and distance learning, considering the global and diverse presence that will exist as a result of technology. According to Bingham (2006) the business sector has a financial interest in the success of distance learning in the public schools. Businesses will undoubtedly gain from the sale of the costly infrastructure for distance learning, as well as from the sale of the software and educational materials necessary for the development of distance learning.
Conclusion
In spite of what people may believe I personally feel that distance learning is more structured and challenging than traditional classroom instruction. Distance learning is one in which you as an individual must have great time management skills and excel in communication because there are no physical attributes to apply to your words. In other words, tone is something that you are always cognizant of. Online education affords me the flexibility to schedule learning around my daily life rather than the other way around. I couldn’t imagine sitting in a classroom at this stage in my life. So how can I be a positive force when it comes to distance learning, although I do not know where a career in ID may take me, I will always share my passion and distance learning experience at Walden with any one that I can help make a decision between the two. We all know that making the choice to obtain an education in a DL settings comes down to some very personal choices that people make in spite of what others may think. It seems that people that know that they prefer and/or thrive better in traditional settings for reasons like needing the F2F time with the professor will be less apt to enroll in DL courses. On the other hand, there will equally be individuals that prefer and in some respect need the conveniences of DL programs and courses, thus making the decision to do what it takes to succeed in one. I am not sure that every person that comes into a DL program have all the attributes and qualities that make a for a successful student in those environments, but perhaps like anything else adapt to the situation to make the best of it - if they want to succeed. Ultimately, online and distance learning does not work for everyone.
References:
Laureate Education, Inc. (2012). “The Future of Distance Education”
George Siemens provides insight into the reasons for the growing acceptance of distance education and where it might be headed in the future. (Video Transcript)
Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and Learning at a Distance (Fifth ed.). Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.
