Defining Distance Learning

Prior to this course, my view of distance education was sort of narrow-minded one.  For example, distance education seems specifically designed for “busy” people, so to speak.  In other words, distance education was for those with a life style that did not afford them the luxury of attending a traditional classroom.  Take someone like me: an experienced teacher, mid-way through my professional career, contemplating a career change within the educational field with a special interest in technology use for education, and not least of all a complicated and busy life with a ton of responsibility.  Again, these were my preconceived notions about distance education.  Those characteristics remain evident in today’s students participating in distance education; however, the field of distance education has evolved so much more in terms of technological and communication advancements.  Also it is commonplace to see a diverse population of students from a different educational spectrum and background participating in distance education.

There are aspects of distance education that have remained constant such as institutionally-based and with a certain degree of geographical separation between the student and the instructor.  In the first few days of this course I have learned that some of my preconceived notions about distance education were not too far off target.  But I have also learned that distance education entails a more holistic and innovative approach to teaching and learning rather than placing a much greater emphasis on the learning component of distance learning.  Chapter 2 of our textbook offers the following definitions about distance education which are compatible with my personal views on the subject of distance education.  Definition one is by Simonson (2003) which states that distance education as institution-based, formal education where the learning group is separated, and where interactive telecommunications systems are used to connect learners, resources, and instructors.  The other definition is by Grenville Rumble (1989) which states that in any distance education process, there must be: a teacher; one or more students; a course or curriculum that the teacher is capable of teaching and the student is trying to learn; and a contract, implicit or explicit, between the student and the teacher or the institution employing the teacher that acknowledges their respective teaching/learning roles. 

The above definitions widen my perspective about distance education to include those evolving aspects of distance education, namely, interactive telecommunications systems and that distance education is a process.  It is a process in which the teaching/learning contract requires that the student be taught, assessed, given guidance, and where appropriate, prepared for examinations (Simonson, Smalding, Albright, and Zvacek, 2009).  It is a process because distance education requires students to read course materials, complete assignments and/or projects, obtain feedback, as well as participating in discussion boards with fellow classmates and teacher.  Additionally, as technology fulfills its potential by enlarging from simply carrying information or instruction to being a communication platform, expanding cognitive capabilities, and a context or laboratory for manipulating the learners’ internal and external environments, thus evolving distance education from its current status as a delivery medium to a learning model (Moller, Foshay, and Huett, 2008).

As the field of distance education continues to evolve, so will the factors that contribute to its change.  Technological innovations will undoubtedly help drive the delivery of instruction.  For example, in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, the development of fiber-optic communication systems allowed for the expansion of live, two-way, high-quality audio and visual systems in education (Simonson, Smalding, Albright, and Zvacek, 2009).  Additionally, the authors continue, computer networks [such as the World Wide Web] are convenient ways to distribute course materials to students around the world.  In short, the history of distance education shows a field that appears to be in constant state of evolution, explains Michael Jeffries in his web article Research in Distance Education.

My vision for the future of distance learning is twofold.  Technologically speaking, I think that there will be an increase in student interaction and feedback due to teleconferencing, for instance.  Simonson, Smalding, Albright, and Zvacek, (2009) assert that computer conferencing increases the potential for interactions and collaborative work among students.  Moller, Foshay, and Huett, (2008) also assert that web-base instruction holds the promise of increasing communication among learners, including reconceptualizing learning from a one-shot fixed term to an on-going event that is intermingled with the actual work processes.  Educationally speaking, distance education will become a more attractive alternative to the traditional classroom because, I think, it will be able to accommodate a learner’s particular educational/training needs.  In other words, as web-based instruction evolves and learners become more adept at maneuvering within the environment, they will come to demand greater customizations of the learning process to cater to their individual interaction needs- whatever those needs might be (Moller, Foshay, and Huett, 2008).

References:

Jeffries, M. (2011).  Research in Distance Education.  Retrieved on Sunday, January 9^th, 2011 from http://www.digitalschool.net/edu/DL_history_mJeffries.html.

Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Huett, J. (2008). The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the web (Part 1: Training and development). TechTrends, 52(3), 70-75.

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2009).  Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education. Chapter 2: Definitions, History, and Theories of Distance Education. (4^th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.