Within the last 10 years there have been a number of changes when it comes to the perceptions of distance learning. I can almost remember like it was yesterday when some of the top educators and learners alike frowned upon gaining a degree in an online format. With that in mind, it’s amazing to see the turnaround of the distance learning environment and how it has changed the way students learn all across the globe. As long as technology continues to evolve, distance learning will continue to grow and evolve as well. Within the next 5 to 10 years I believe many of the perceptions of distance learning will be more positive than they are today but there will always be a negative perception to debate. As much as distance learning has progressed within such a short period of time, the possibilities are endless for the next 10-20 years. Personally, I feel that by that time the only face to face learning environments will be reserved for K-12 education and doctoral level curriculums such as physical therapy, chiropractic and medical programs.
As an instructional designer, the best way that I can be a proponent for improving societal perceptions of distance learning would be to continue to design the best quality courses in the online format. At this point marketing departments have done a great job with presenting the distance learning format to students across the globe. In my role as an instructional designer assuring that quality is presented will almost always assure that students will remain in their programs and speak highly about their experiences. Currently there have been a few distance learning programs that have given the distance learning environment a bad reputation as of late. As an instructional designer I would go back to the drawing board and clean up those programs from scratch and present a new curriculum that the students would be proud to say they have learned.
The field of distance learning has to continue to be positive in the eyes of students in order for the growth of the environment to continue. Given the fact that it took some time in my online program for me to become a true believer in the online format of learning, it will take constant advocacy on my part to improve the field of distance learning in the future. Currently when I speak to anyone concerning the field of education, I mention my program and that I attend Walden University. I am not surprised at the number of negative responses I have received or that some students are just weary of gaining a degree online in general but in order to improve the field, it will be important to continue to spread the word to as many people as possible.
Improvements in corporate trainings will also be a great way to spread the word of distance education, especially if you work for an international company. Given my current career as an instructional designer I also plan to focus on providing corporate trainings to small businesses that are also looking for expansion. This way distance education can be provided in an online format to all employees whether in house or in another state or country.
Overall the field of distance learning is in a great place. I am proud to say that I am a student of distance learning and have become a more skilled learner because of it. I have remained a student because of the uniqueness of the program and the quality of the education I have received thus far. With continued improvements within the distance learning environment, I am more than confident that this form of learning will be the new standard in the years to come.
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Monday, December 20, 2010
Converting to a Distance Learning Format
In week 7 of my EDUC 6135 Distance Learning course, we were asked to consider the following scenario and reflect on the following:
· What are some of the pre-planning strategies the trainer needs to consider before converting his program?
· What aspects of his original training program could be enhanced in the distance learning format?
· How will his role, as trainer, change in a distance learning environment?
· What steps should the trainer take to encourage the trainees to communicate online?
Scenario: A training manager has been frustrated with the quality of communication among trainees in his face-to-face training sessions and wants to try something new. With his supervisor’s permission, the trainer plans to convert all current training modules to a blended learning format, which would provide trainees and trainers the opportunity to interact with each other and learn the material in both a face-to-face and online environment. In addition, he is considering putting all of his training materials on a server so that the trainees have access to resources and assignments at all times.
Before the trainer can convert all the current training modules into a blended learning format, he must first try to determine where the problem lies in the first place. Why is the quality of communication among trainees lacking during face to face training sessions? Once that has been determined that would give the trainer a better idea of which areas to remain in the face to face environment and which to convert to the online portion of the blended program.
Determining what aspects of the original training program have worked successfully in the past will also make a big difference in the delivery of the new blended program. The more successful aspects of the original training program will remain in the face to face portion of the course, while newer and more technology based aspects of the course can be provided at a distance. By splitting the format this way, it will allow for students take a different approach to receiving training and for the less technology savvy students, offer a new way to train and gain further skill sets in the field of technology.
The trainer’s role will not change drastically in his new blended learning environment. He will still be offering training on all levels but will provide a new online format that will hope to excite his trainees as well as increase the lines of communication among trainees and also assure that they are learning adequately as well. This format will also strive to entice more trainees to utilize for modern technology to communicate for work purposes online such as Yahoo Messenger and SharePoint sites that will store all of the training materials online for further follow up or addition of new training materials.
· What are some of the pre-planning strategies the trainer needs to consider before converting his program?
· What aspects of his original training program could be enhanced in the distance learning format?
· How will his role, as trainer, change in a distance learning environment?
· What steps should the trainer take to encourage the trainees to communicate online?
Scenario: A training manager has been frustrated with the quality of communication among trainees in his face-to-face training sessions and wants to try something new. With his supervisor’s permission, the trainer plans to convert all current training modules to a blended learning format, which would provide trainees and trainers the opportunity to interact with each other and learn the material in both a face-to-face and online environment. In addition, he is considering putting all of his training materials on a server so that the trainees have access to resources and assignments at all times.
Before the trainer can convert all the current training modules into a blended learning format, he must first try to determine where the problem lies in the first place. Why is the quality of communication among trainees lacking during face to face training sessions? Once that has been determined that would give the trainer a better idea of which areas to remain in the face to face environment and which to convert to the online portion of the blended program.
Determining what aspects of the original training program have worked successfully in the past will also make a big difference in the delivery of the new blended program. The more successful aspects of the original training program will remain in the face to face portion of the course, while newer and more technology based aspects of the course can be provided at a distance. By splitting the format this way, it will allow for students take a different approach to receiving training and for the less technology savvy students, offer a new way to train and gain further skill sets in the field of technology.
The trainer’s role will not change drastically in his new blended learning environment. He will still be offering training on all levels but will provide a new online format that will hope to excite his trainees as well as increase the lines of communication among trainees and also assure that they are learning adequately as well. This format will also strive to entice more trainees to utilize for modern technology to communicate for work purposes online such as Yahoo Messenger and SharePoint sites that will store all of the training materials online for further follow up or addition of new training materials.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
The Impact of Open Source
For this week’s application assignment in my Distance Learning EDUC 6135 course, we were tasked with selecting a free Open Course site to view and analyze. After researching the open course links provided in our optional resources section, I decided to analyze the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Open Course classroom environment and evaluate the impact of the course.
Upon initially viewing the website at: http://ocw.mit.edu/index.htm I was amazed to see all of the resources provided at no cost. There are over 2000 courses offered in an online format and can be taken at any time. Because of my previous background in the Health Sciences field, I decided to choose the Musculoskeletal Pathophysiology(located in the Health Sciences and Technology section) course to evaluate further. The course itself is very easy to navigate and is offered at the graduate level.
The design of the course appears to be very well pre-planned and appeal s to students looking to gain a higher education on the subject in a short amount of time. The course also consists of all the elements of your general distance learning environment including syllabus, course calendar, lecture notes and assignments. Accessing each section of the class allows full participation and you can take each portion of the course at your own pace, which offers an unlimited amount of time to process and gather knowledge.
After reading chapter 9 of our course text, this course follows the recommendations for online instruction as it relates to the components of a Course Management System. The MIT course offers all the components of a CMS such as Course Management, Readings, Course Presentations and communications.
In my opinion the course designer could have done a better job with implementing course activities for the students to participate in. The activities may have been limited due to the 4 week length of the course but it could have had a much better impact for the students with more multimedia viewings provided. Overall the course is very well designed and is a great benefit to be offered free to the public. Before this course I was unaware that open courses were available at no cost other than orientation modules. It is great to see that with the advancement of technology anyone can gain a high quality education in some aspect with internet access.
Upon initially viewing the website at: http://ocw.mit.edu/index.htm I was amazed to see all of the resources provided at no cost. There are over 2000 courses offered in an online format and can be taken at any time. Because of my previous background in the Health Sciences field, I decided to choose the Musculoskeletal Pathophysiology(located in the Health Sciences and Technology section) course to evaluate further. The course itself is very easy to navigate and is offered at the graduate level.
The design of the course appears to be very well pre-planned and appeal s to students looking to gain a higher education on the subject in a short amount of time. The course also consists of all the elements of your general distance learning environment including syllabus, course calendar, lecture notes and assignments. Accessing each section of the class allows full participation and you can take each portion of the course at your own pace, which offers an unlimited amount of time to process and gather knowledge.
After reading chapter 9 of our course text, this course follows the recommendations for online instruction as it relates to the components of a Course Management System. The MIT course offers all the components of a CMS such as Course Management, Readings, Course Presentations and communications.
In my opinion the course designer could have done a better job with implementing course activities for the students to participate in. The activities may have been limited due to the 4 week length of the course but it could have had a much better impact for the students with more multimedia viewings provided. Overall the course is very well designed and is a great benefit to be offered free to the public. Before this course I was unaware that open courses were available at no cost other than orientation modules. It is great to see that with the advancement of technology anyone can gain a high quality education in some aspect with internet access.
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