REFLECTION

            I was very inspired when I read the theories by Dede where he describes Distance Learning as shifting to “active construction of knowledge through mediated immersion” (2005).  The use of the new technologies in the classroom will provide students, particularly the neomillanial students, with an interactive online education involving situational experiences and the ability to co-design to make learning more personal and suited to each individual.  I can see the trend moving the learning environment in the next decade as being much more interactive than it is now.   It is exciting to think that students are taking part in simulated games which are designed to teach concepts of business, how to run a business, how to solve math equations or even how to put together a car engine.  What are the limits to the power of online instruction?  With the information supplied by Dede and other forward thinkers, the limit will be pushed further than before.  I would like to think that within the next decade education will be somewhere further along than what it is now to the truly “magical” world of Dede’s virtual immersion experiences that he describes as the possible future for universities.

            The design of the new online learning trends have to keep pace with technology that is available to foster a more connected learning experience.  There will need to be a variety of offerings to students so that the information presented to them will appeal to each learner’s style of learning.  However, the academic and purpose of the instruction cannot be lost either.  The learning goals and outcomes have to be met so that the reputation of learning on line will not be overly simplified to its convenience or flexible format.  Gambescia and Paolucci’s( 2009)  research shows that most schools are concerned with providing information about the Academic Fidelity in in terms of the faculty and curriculum as a way to focus on quality of the education. The chart below from Gambescia and Paolucci (2009) shows the traits of flexibility, convenience, quality and a global classroom experience as what is important to most upcoming students who are looking for educational options. Designers need to create ways to use all of these attributes in the instructional design of each course so that quality becomes a higher selling point for online education.  Until a larger portion of society recognizes that online education is just as high in quality as face to face instruction, designers have more to do to set the bar higher.

            Current and future designers will have to be able to assess which technological resources will increase knowledge transfer based on the subject content.  When instruction is designed using the correct media, efficiency is maximized and learning experiences have more resources available (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, and Zvacek, 2012, p. 116).   Knowing what technology is available to students is an important part of the assessment phase when designing instruction.  Even with technology advancements, I think it is a best practice to provide the information in a variety of mediums so that all learners have options.  Even students that are online and enjoy working at a computer, iPad, laptop, or phone, should realize that there are times when having written text to mark up or high light is of value.  Course material selections should be varied and considered.  

            Making students comfortable in their online learning environment by having a well- organized classroom with all information and capabilities right at their fingertips is one way to further integrate distance education into mainstream society.  Online is becoming widely accepted as an alternative and Siemans points out in his video that as more people are having meaningful communication on line in their personal and professional lives, this is contributing to the growing acceptance (2012).  

            As a future designer and even now as a student advisor for online education, I feel tasked with continuing to learn and familiarize myself with the new technology that is available.  I am comfortable with some and not as familiar with others.  Continuous self -education and practice with technology is a goal of mine so that I can experience everything that is available.   The only way to effectively put to use the best technology for any training class is to know it and be effective at it.  I have work to do and have a lesson plan of my own that I will follow to continuously expand my knowledge and skill level.  The concepts discussed in this Distance Education class solidify my goal that I must be a continuous learner in order to be an effect instructional designer of the future.

Sincerely,
Kathy
        
    
References:

Dede, C. (2005). Planning for neomillennial learning styles. Educause Quarterly, 28(1), 7–12.

Gambescia, S., & Paolucci, R. (2009). Academic fidelity and integrity as attributes of university        online degree program offerings. Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, 12(1). Retrieved from

http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/spring121/gambescia121.html

Siemens,G. (2012)  The future of distance education.  Laureate Education Inc,. [Video Program]   

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (5th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.

Converting to a Distance Learning Format

Blended instruction is becoming more popular at my place of business as a way to up-train and present information to employees.  It used to be just the face to face training that everyone had to attend by packing into the training or conference rooms to listen to the Instructor go over new processes with us.

Now, most of our trainings are delivered to us first in an Online Training (OLT) course that we do right at our own desk and if it is a larger topic such as the new phone system that was just installed, there are Instructor Led Trainings (ILT) as well.

These have been successful for the most part, however, there is a consensus that the OLT Training part could be a little longer in length and the ILT could have been a little shorter!  Typically, the OLT takes only about 20-30 minutes and the ILT about 2 hours. 

I have attached a guide for the systematic approach that should be taken when trying to convert a face to face course into a blended instruction environment.

                                      The Impact of Open Source

 

To find out more about how the Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), I reviewed one hosted by a Yale professor, Dr. Diana Kleiner on Roman Architecture.  The course number is HSAR252 and it is an introduction into the Roman building structures and the ancient roman town layouts. This class can be found at the web address http://oyc.yale.edu/history-art/hsar-252.   I found it very interesting because there are 1,500 pictures that accompany each of the 23 video lectures in this program.  Many of them are personal pictures taken by professor Kleiner and others are from Google Earth images or the textbooks that are required for the course.  The instructional materials associated with this course seem appropriate for the amount of information presented.  There are two textbooks that students must purchase along with a download of other course materials. 

            The course is a series of lectures that are listed on the webpage.  Since this course is just a collection of the lectures that have been videotaped, the Dr. Kleiner refers to the course timing as evolving over a semester.  The syllabus does not show a definitive begin and end date for the course and is a very weak in the sense that it does not clearly lay out what is to happen.  There are no details instructions on how to or if we can contact the instructor, how to find the project information and left me wondering where to go.  I had to find all of this on my own.  Assuming the responsibility for my own learning is essential in any student-centered learning environment (Simonson et al, 2013, p. 233).  However, there is also an amount of guidance that should be given by the instructor and communication between the two should still be part of the distance learning experience. 

 

            The 23 sessions listed are videotaped lectures from this professor’s face to face class and in some of them you can see the students sitting in the lecture hall.  The context of the course is to introduce students to the various styles of architecture and the lectures are very interesting and do just that.  In the few minutes of sitting through the first session, I found the pictures and the explanations very interesting.  Each online session has a transcript available also which can be printed out.  This is a good use of having the course materials in written form for students to use for note taking. 

            However, is this design the best for an online student?  I was not able to raise my hand or type in any questions if I wanted.  Some of the sessions have Dr. Kleiner asking questions and students answering her, but the distance learners do not have this option for interaction.  The structure of this class is in direct conflict with Drs.  Simonson and Schlosser (1995) use of equivalence theory in distance education.  They stated that online instruction is not to be the same as in- class instruction. It must be equivalent yes, but not the same (as cited in Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, and Zvacek, 2013, p. 52).  There should be other interactive activities for the online learner to interact with the information, the professor, and each other.   The experiences of the distance learn should have equal value but can have different experiences.  Simonson also argues that just videotaping classroom instruction is not how distance education should be designed (2013).

            In this HSAR252 course, there are 2 exams that are taken in the course as well as a term paper or project of the student’s choice.  These are due by the end of the semester.  The student can either write an 8 page research paper, “Select a building – Select a theme” meaning the student can write about a particular building that they are interested in but was not covered in class.  The third option was to develop a roman city.   Kleiner describes this was done once by an architecture student.  The instructions for this project are found in one of the sessions about half way through the list of the lecture sessions.  There is no group work in this project and not requirement for technology or use of any interactive software.  While reading the instruction from her about getting permission for their own project ideas by her or one of her teaching fellows further alienates the distance student because we are not in contact with her or know of her fellows. I did like the information presented and found it very interesting, but I was an isolated observer and did not feel part of a course with other students.  In conclusion, the open course experience is not the same as the traditional distance education courses.

 

 

Images above are from Google Earth.  Two of the buildings discussed in the course.

References:

Simonson, M. (2013) Laureate Education, Inc.  Theory and Distance Learning. [Online Video]

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (5th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.