Farewell for now to the Grad Program

It's very rare that I blog about non-grad work assignments, so this will be brief.

My husband left about 2.5 weeks ago to begin carving a new life for our family in the hills of SW PA.  As I am a full-time teacher, I cannot move until the end of the school year.  My stepson is in kindergarten and we decided that he should also finish the school year before making the move.  In the grand scheme of things, I now have a very healthy respect for working, single parents.  Things have been more than a little hectic during the last two weeks of the course.  My stress levels went through the roof and BoyWonder has had a difficult time, too.  I cannot feel good about taking so much time away from him while pursuing the Master's program.  It's just not fair to him (or my sanity).

So for the short term, I've postponed my last three courses in the MSIDT program until at least the Summer terms, when I have more time and we have fully adjusted to not having Hubby/Daddy around.  For those of you continuing with the Project Management course, I wish you the best and look forward to seeing your posts!  I can now say that I love my RSS feed and check it daily.  :)  Hopefully, I will be able to converse with some of you in future courses!

Shelley

The Future of Distance Learning

What do you think the perceptions of distance learning will be in the future (in 5-10 years; 10-20 years)?

            In the next 5 to 10 years, I think the perceptions of distance learning will change a great deal.  People are realizing that geographic location does not need to dictate their access to quality education and that distance can be overcome through the use of distance learning.  The development of quality distance learning programs will continue during this time, as education institutions look to established models of successful distance education, such as the Florida Virtual School, the Digital Dakota Network, and accredited online universities (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012).  The development of distance learning institutions will continue to grow, not as just a trend or fad, but as institutions, government, and businesses continue to cater to and reach a more diverse and global economy (Siemens, 2010). 

Accreditation will become more important as employers and potential students become more aware of what quality distance learning can achieve.  Institutions offering distance learning programs will improve their course offerings to utilize the new developments of technology and communication, offering a more comfortable and engaging learning environment to students, while meeting (or exceeding) the academic rigor required by accreditation or industry standards.  For established, traditional learning institutions, this may be a painful process in rethinking how content can be delivered to learners, how learners and instructors interact, and how to avoid “the craft approach” (simply transferring face-to-face classroom content to an online forum without regard to the differences between online instructional strategies and classroom instructional strategies) (Moller, Foshay, & Huett, 2008, p. 67).  The quality of distance learning programs will be examined when compared to identical programs offered face-to-face by the same institution in terms of academic fidelity and integrity, meaning that the distance learning programs ought to have the same support from the institution in terms of technology, resources, faculty, and society acceptance (Gambescia & Paolucci, 2009).  

Communication between far-reaching destinations will be all but erased by distance learning and training.  During this time, technologies and interactive communications will improve, as will the use of interactive games, multimedia applications and simulations, providing a more engaging and effective learning environment.  As tools and technologies develop, distance learning and instructional designers will need to keep pace with the improvements to provide learners with the practical experience necessary to be successful in the career field.

            In the following decade, distance learning programs and technologies will achieve mainstream acceptance.  By that time, it may be that more than half of working professionals will have received at least some of their education through distance learning courses.  Communication and multimedia technologies will continue to improve and new innovations will cause us to rethink (again) how people relate and interact with one another and the digital world.  Who knows?  Simulations and video conferencing may achieve 3D capabilities that are accessible to everyone.

How can you as an instructional designer be a proponent for improving societal perceptions of distance learning?

            As an instructional designer, I think one of the main misconceptions of society is the perceived lack of quality in distance learning programs.  Most misconceptions can be overcome simply by talking or showing individuals what a quality program entails.  As an instructional designer, it will be important for me to follow the ADDIE process to ensure that the goals of a program are clearly defined and that the best instructional strategies and tools are utilized to meet those learning goals.  It will also be important to publish the successes of distance learning programs, and educate the public that quality distance learning opportunities are available.

How will you be a positive force for continuous improvement in the field of distance education?

            Although there are days where I feel like I have only just begun to scratch the surface on instructional technologies, it will be important to stay current with new technological advances, and to continue to learn and improve on distance learning theories and methods while incorporating those advances in the products that I develop.   I generally have high expectations for my work and that will continue as an instructional designer.  It will be important to meet those expectations in terms of the development of courses and in working with SME’s and other teams members.  The developments, advances, and collaboration with others combine to produce an efficient and effective learning environment.  Overall, I want to make sure that I provide an environment in which the student feels comfortable and productive.  I want to provide the best learning experience for each student that logs on.

References

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/spring 121/gambescia121.html

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.

Siemens, G. (2010) The future of distance education. [video program]. Laureate Education, Inc. Retrieved from sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=6290464&Survey=1&47=7309287&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=1&bhcp=1

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

Converting to a Distance Learning Format

Converting a traditionally Face-to-Face (F2F) course to a blended or hybrid course can be a daunting task.  One of the many features of blended courses is the opportunity to utilize technology tools that add to the learning experiences of your students while still maintaining a F2F environment.  This week, we were asked to aid a hypothetical training manager who wished to move his F2F course to a blended format to improve the communications among the learners.  The trainer also wants to move the course resources online so that learners may greater access to materials.

Questions to consider:

1.     What are some of the pre-planning strategies the trainer needs to consider before converting his program?

2.     What aspects of his original training program could be enhanced in the distance learning format?

3.     How will his role, as trainer, change in a distance learning environment?

4.     What steps should the trainer take to encourage the trainees to communicate online?

Pre-Planning Strategies

My initial conversations with the instructor will guide the rest of the development of the hybrid transformation.  Gathering information about his course, his goals for using a hybrid environment, and information about his students will be invaluable for the course development.  A learner analysis will help determine the students' skills and readiness in using technology as a learning vehicle.  An analysis of the instructor's goals for the course can help define how the hybrid elements will incorporated into the course. It will be very important for the instructor to establish for the students an organized course, expectations, and student responsibilities (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012).

F2F Hybrid Best Practices Guide

Distance Learning Format Enhancements

Discussion forums, wikis, and other tools provided by course management systems can help organize and track student progress during a course.  The trainer will need to decide which type of website will best meet his needs for the course and which tools will be added to the course for student use.  Specific guidelines and rubrics would need to be developed, and included, to provide students with the desired expectations for the online participation.  In this scenario, the instructor would like to enhance the students' communications.  Discussion boards for each module or topic could be included as assignment, with a rubric that describes appropriate online etiquette, quality of posts, and meeting the requirements of the initial question or scenario.  The instructor should carefully consider several things when designing the discussion board aspect of the course.  Careful attention to details concerning the initial set up, participation, structure of questions, moderation of the forum, and evaluations can provide for a more engaging and informative discussion (Wade, Bentley, & Waters, 2006).

From Trainer to Facilitator

As a traditional F2F instructor, he is probably used to fulfilling the role as the provider of content and 'sage on the stage'.  As the students communicate more with each other and with the content, the instructor's role will need to shift from being the center of attention to that of a facilitator who coaches the students along in their own learning.   The instructor will need to adjust his interaction with students and find "a balance between structure and creativity" that provides enough support to students, but still allows them to think creatively and critically about the content (Wade, Bentley, & Waters, 2006, p. 3).

Encouragement to Learners

As a facilitator in a blended learning environment, he will need to monitor the discussion boards.  He can offer encouragement to students by commenting on their initial posts, asking questions about their thoughts, and providing additional resources that relate the students' post to the course content (such as an article about the course content and the student's career field). It is important for the facilitator to be 'present' and adding pertinent feedback to the discussion forums and not abandon the discussions to the students' own devices.  Instructors need to monitor and support student engagement  in the online environment (Piskurich, n.d.).

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The following table is a short checklist of items the instructor should consider when converting his course to include the online environment.

	Where will the online course be hosted? Will a CMS be used?
	Is the instructor familiar with all of the technology tools and course components in the online environment?
	Will student help guides be available for those not familiar with the online environment and technology tools?
	How will the course components be organized? Will the topics and modules follow those in the face-to-face environment?
	How often will students be required to engage in the online environment?
	How will the discussion posts be evaluated?
	Provide contact information for the instructor and technical support.

Resources

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

Piskurich, G. (n.d.). Facilitating online learning. [Study video]. Retrieved from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=6290464&Survey=1&47=7309287&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=1&bhcp=1.

Wade, D. A., Bentley, J. P. H., Waters, S. H. (2006). Twenty guidelines for successful threaded discussions: A learning environment approach. Distance Learning, 3(3), p. 1-8.

The Impact of Open Source

Review of Course

For this week’s blog application assignment, I chose to review an introductory astrophysics class for non-science majors.  The course is available on the Open Yale Courses website, entitled “Frontiers and Controversies in Astrophysics with Professor Charles Bailyn”.  The opening page of the course provides information about the course, and the professor, as well as the caveat that it was recorded from a face-to-face (F2F) session of the course taught during the Spring term of 2007 at Yale.  The side bar to the left of the main content includes links to the syllabus, class sessions, and downloads for the course.  The syllabus is atypically of what I would expect from a university course; there is no text book, rubrics, or list of class expectations or attendance (since this was originally presented as F2F).  There are guidelines for late submissions and collaboration listed in a supplemental syllabus, linked from the class syllabus.

The class session pages include information for each class session recorded by Dr. Bailyn’s team.  The page contains a textual overview of where the last session left off and what direction the discussion will take in the next session.  There are downloads for the learner of the lecture recording (transcripts, audio-only mp3 files, and/or Flash or Quicktime video files of the lecture based on internet connection speeds).  There are also PDF files of the presentation notes and links to other resources as they pertain to the individual lectures.  The additional resources are normally articles or websites for learners to explore, but occasionally the resource or assignment cannot be enacted by sole online learners, such as with the “Cosmology: The Game” during session 24.  Periodic problem set were assigned in the F2F course; the sets are included as PDF files as well as the corresponding solutions.

Applied as Distance Learning

From a distance learning (DL) perspective, the course is not very engaging to the learner.  The video sessions are long (~50 minutes) and simply of the professor presenting the material from a podium using the old overhead projector and transparencies, complete with Vis-à-vis markers.  The camera person does make an effort to record both the professor and the overhead through panning and zoom, but the audio is a bit soft as the DL learner cannot hear the F2F student questions to the professor in the video.  The course also has no interactive engagement between the instructor and DL learner or the DL learner to other students.

It does not appear to me that much preplanning (other than arranging for the audio/video crew) went into the course for the purpose of distance education.  Other than hosting and presenting the course material online, there are few to no provisions for DL learners to interact with the course.  There are no discussion boards, no interactive projects, no fellow DL learners with whom to communicate.  There is also no feedback from instructors on work or progress, as the solutions are already given for the DL learner to evaluate their own work.  I believe that the course would fall under the description of “shovelware”, where courses are simply transferred to the web or CMS with little regard to the differences in strategies for effective distance learning (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012, p. 134).  The materials are not hosted on a course management system thereby ensuring that there is no tracking of progress either by the student for self-evaluative purposes or by the administration.

Distance Learning & Open Source

Despite the rather disappointing review, I believe that Open Source tools are valuable to the instructional designer.  As the materials are free and sometimes adaptable (provided that there is still adherence to all applicable copyright laws), Open Source tools, websites, and courses are still valuable resources to designing a course.  Open Source applications can be used to supplement a course’s resources or activities to further broaden a DL’s learning experiences.

Resources

Bailyn, C. (2007). Frontiers and controversies in astrophysics. Open Yale Courses. Retrieved February 3, 2012, from http://oyc.yale.edu/astronomy/frontiers-and-controversies-in-astrophysics

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