Week 8 Course Reflection

There is some uncertainty surrounding distance learning but it is going full steam ahead. Distance learning will continue to increase in popularity among organizations, educational institutions, and learners of the future. With increased attention already there are responsibilities being identified that aid in sustaining distance education systems and methods being utilized to measure its effectiveness. An increased number of individuals are communicating online which only increases exposure to distance communication, which is the basis for online learning. As individuals become increasingly accustomed to technology tools it will make more sense to utilize distance education in organizations and institutions.

The benefits of distance education cannot be ignored. Distance education is so flexible because of its transportability. The consistent utilization of online delivery formats can prove to be very economical. The important factor is to ensure that comprehensive planning is done to avoid investment in a non-effective instructional module. The flexibility associated with distance learning allows us to customize schedules to fit more pressing needs such as family and work deadlines.

As an instructional designer, there is a responsibility to maintain the quality of distance education. By consistently developing modules targeted toward engaging learners while delivering pertinent content the vision of distance learning can be transformed into one of respect instead of uncertainty. Understanding the needs of learners and designing instruction to accommodate diverse learners by providing various delivery formats should be a focus. Current technology can bring learners together that have a significant geographical distance between them. Exposing ourselves to viewpoints, opinions, and solutions that we would have otherwise never seen or heard enhances the active learning experience.

Keeping ourselves aware of the dynamics involved in online education such as credibility, quality, and learner diversity continuous improvement will be much easier. Implementing the right systematic approach such as ADDIE and Human Performance Technology (HPT) the goals of an instructional module can be developed for varying contexts. Organizations and institutions seek distance education for different reasons. It may be to improve work performance of employees or to increase enrollment. Understanding the reason for the need of the instruction, the context that it will be delivered in, and the desired results puts designers in the best position for success.

Week 7 Application: Converting to a Distance Learning Format

Converting a course from a face to face instructional environment is not as simple as uploading content to a CMS and following the exact same structure as in the classroom. Developers must accommodate for changes in a distance education instructional setting. It must be determined how communication will occur, what learning activities will be most effective, who is responsible for sustaining the module, and the change in the responsibilities of the instructor.

To ensure that the transition and implementation occur as smoothly as possible thorough planning is of high importance. Rolling out a distance learning module with poor preparation is a terrible mistake. Negative consequences such as learner frustration and dissatisfaction are of high risk. Developers must be aware of any technology hurdles or any need to revise and rearrange content. To aid in this process a systematic approach can aid in consideration of areas such as technology requirements, content enhancement, facilitating student interaction, and the new roles and changing responsibilities of facilitators and instructors.

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The Impact of Open Source

The free courses offered at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) are very abundant and filled with information. The course that I chose to review was titled Principles of Engineering Practice (http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/materials-science-and-engineering/3-003-principles-of-engineering-practice-spring-2010/index.htm) Lecture notes, assignments, labs and sometimes solutions are available in pdf format. This site is definitely for an independent learner. There is an apparent sequence that course materials should be viewed but learners can access any resource or activity at any time and it is completely asynchronous. I would not recommended this site for learners who are just interested in a particular topic and hope to quickly learn more. The resources seem to be on a high level and require a good amount of prerequisite knowledge. There is so much available just from one screen that it is easy to get distracted and it can be difficult figuring out exactly what section of the course you are in.

In my opinion there was not a lot of initiative put forth to transition the course to an online delivery method that would engage the learner. Instructions for assignments require students to bring materials to class, how can this happen when it is now completely online? This is just another signal that minimal effort was put forth in transition from face to face to online. The variety of media is minimal, basically all pdf files which generally results in unengaged learners. The selection of media is crucial to distance learning, media should “...connect the learner, teacher, and learning resources...” and “...must be capable of conveying all necessary information.” (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2009, p. 92) Lecture notes are simply converted to pdf format and posted on the site leaving the learner to wonder what was said between section headings and bullet points. There is no accessibility to audio and to hear exactly what the instructor is saying. Adding graphs, images, tables, etc. can help to fill the void and more efficiently and effectively deliver content. Media should be used to help simplify complex concepts or ideas, there is no learner-instructor interaction and besides the sketched pictures and schematics in lecture notes graphics are at a minimum.

Given the fact that this course was originally designed for a face to face environment, from an organizational perspective it meets educational credit standards according to the Unit, Module, and Topic approach (UMT). Assessments are directly related to the learning outcomes, although some of the modules offered by MIT do not have answer keys or solutions available which lessens the amount of feedback learners can receive. Furthermore, there is no means of communication for the learner with the instructor, but MIT does allow for participant feedback, which can improve the course. As stated prior, content is made available but not very engaging. Simonson, et. al. (2009) identified one of the characteristics of a “high quality” online course is an “emphasis on the use of various forms of visual media to offer instructional content.” (p. 157) Still, there is an apparent instructional pace intended, which is organized in a hypercontent-design.

There are course activities available such as labs and experiments but being designed for a face to face environment they are not that effective for a distance learner and do not maximize interaction. Dikkers and Whiteside (2010), stated that “there is a tremendous need for specific, simple strategies that may maximize online interactions and meaningful learning outcomes.” Activities are vague and not specific as to exactly what the learner is to do. It is clear that the content delivered by MIT's open courseware is quality information but there does not seem to be an organized approach to develop the course for online delivery. Simonson et. al. (2009) stated that the “creation of successful courses-and the program of which they are a part-requires a 'systems' approach.” (p. 146)

References

Dikkers, A., & Whiteside, A. (2010). Strategies to maximize online interactions using the social presence model. Proceedings of the Learning effectiveness track, http://sloanconsortium.org/2010aln/presentation/strategies- maximize-online- interactions-using- social-presence-model

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2009). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (4th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.