Week 8: Reflection

Reflection

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

At the rate technology is moving the future for distance learning is vast. I predict the perceptions about distance learning in 5-10 years will become more positive and in 10-20 years people will not remember what it is like to not have distance learning options available to them.  Students reported that once they took a distance course, they were willing to enroll in additional classes.  Students felt satisfied with the quality of their learning experience, and the convenience factors reinforced their participation (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright & Zvacek p.224).  I believe customer satisfaction will also play a key role in distance learning institutions.  If a student has a positive distance learning experience they are likely to share that information with colleagues and friends on the flip side if they had a poor experience they will again share the negative reviews with others.  If there are institutions not investing in distance education training for the faculty I can see this type of institution not succeeding in the online environment.  This leads nicely into the next question.

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

As an instructional designer the best way to improve the societal perceptions of distance learning is to continue to use learning theories and research when designing instruction for the online learning environment.  We have learned this semester that incorporating communication, collaboration and active learning into distance education are ways to create a sense of community for the student.  According to Dr. Börje Holmberg’s theory of  distance education: Personal relations, study pleasure, and empathy between students and those supporting them are central to learning in distance education.  Feelings of empathy and belonging promote students’ motivation to learn and influence the learning favorably (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright & Zvacek p.49).   

Another way the instructional designer can improve the experience for the learner and in turn improve societal perceptions is to create quality orientation materials and guidelines.  Students who have not taken a distance learning course, synchronous or asynchronous, need guidance as to what they are expected to do within in activities, using the technology, how to efficiently and effectively communicate with their peers and with the instructor and how to demonstrate their knowledge (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright & Zvacek  2012).  Examples of this are creating a clear syllabus, precise instructions and expectations for activities and discussion boards.  If the expectations are clear to the student there is decreased stress and more time for them to concentrate on the pertinent information in the course.

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

The best way to be a part of continuous improvement in distance education is to stay current on research, continuously evaluate student feedback and be open to the changing technologies.  Dr. George Siemens discussed in this week’s vodcast that the future will bring new communication technologies as well as an increased use of multimedia, games and simulations (Laureate 2012).  By being prepared to learn the most current way learners are using technology and incorporating what is appropriate into distance learning I can only predict positive outcomes for me as an instructor and designer.  This is the main reason I find the field of instructional design so exciting.  It is ever changing with endless possibilities in the distance learning environment; the only way to get bored in this atmosphere is if you stop paying attention to the changes happening all around you.

KWK

References:

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2012). Teaching and learning at a distance. [vodcast]. “The Future of Distance Learning”. Boston, MA: Dr. George Siemens.

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

Week 7: Guide to converting to blended learning enviroment

The situation:
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.

The task: Converting a face-to-face training session into a blended learning environment. Blended or hybrid learning is describes as: Course that blends online and face-to-face delivery. Substantial proportion (30-79%) of the content is delivered online, typically has some face-to-face meetings. (Allen, Seaman & Garrett).
1) Preplanning strategies the trainer needs to consider: What technology is going to be used? Train the facilitator/trainer on the software that they and their students will be using. (Laureate 2012). A course management system (CMS) offers components that structure the resources for delivery. Built into the systems are such resources as course calendar, announcement, assignments, discussion areas, student rosters, communications and Web links (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright & Zvacek). Organization of the training is key. Creating a predetermined schedule is something the trainer must do. If the course is started face-to-face it would be best to have a schedule ready for the students. Making a detailed calendar and information on how to contact instructor in case of questions or emergencies will be of great value to the student. This information could easily be a part of your syllabus. The syllabus is the single-most important document an instructor can prepare…an instructor needs to provide enough information within the syllabus that the students are able to understand the structure of the course, expectations, and assignments (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright & Zvacek p.199).
What are the learner characteristics? (Morrison, Ross, Kalman & Kemp 2011).
• General (age, gender, ethnicity)
• Specific entry (prerequisite skills for instruction)
• Learning styles (preferred ways of learning)
Orienting Context:
  • What are the learners perceived utility of the instruction?
• Learners perception of accountability
• What are the goals for the trainees?

Preplanning check list:

Preplanning strategies	Facilitator has full knowledge	Facilitator needs training before course begins
What CMS will be used?
Creating a course schedule
Creating detailed syllabus
Are the learner characteristics known?
Orienting Context known?

2) How can original training be enhanced in the distance learning format?
By having all the resources available to the students at all time in a CMS this may allow for flexibility for the learners. It is imperative that the instructor make it clear what the students are expected to do to complete a course, but it is the student’s responsibility to adjust his or her schedule accordingly (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright & Zvacek p.230). Online education demands that students become engaged in the learning process. They cannot sit back and be passive learners; rather, they must participate in the learning process (Simonson p.196) by having a blended class the trainer can incorporate technology which can facilitate interactions among the students. Dr. Piskurich stated; activities and applications are the heart of an online course. Activities make content come alive (Laureate 2012).

3) Trainer’s role changed in blended environment?
When distributed learning is used the trainer is introducing an online learning component to the course. When this happens a shift from traditional teacher-centered to student-centered learning will happen. Oblinger viewed this transformation the following way: (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright & Zvacek p.198).
• From lecture to coaching
• Taking attendance to logging in
• From distribution of requirements to connected learning
• From competing to collaborating
• From passive to active learning
• From textbooks to customized materials

The trainer should plan on fostering these changes to their approach.

4) How to encourage online communication?

Effective communication requires an active audience. The response of the learners who receive messages is called feedback. Feedback allows the sender and receiver, teacher and learner, to determine if the message is understood correctly (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright & Zvacek p.91).

http://www.bized.co.uk/educators/level2/comms/activity/buscomms12.htmI

When the trainer stays actively involved in the class by monitoring and participating in the discussions the student will feel that trainer is invested in the course. Keeping communications open through chats and emails are another way to encourage communication with the learner. According to Sorensen and Baylen (2004) Guidelines for involving students in quality learning experiences include:
• Communication with students
• Collaboration among students
• Active Learning experiences
• Prompt feedback from trainer
• High expectations
• Respecting diversity

By organizing the structure of the course, evaluating the learner and their expectations of the training, utilizing a course management system that will allow for synchronous and asynchronous collaboration of students through discussions and activities creating a successful blended learning experience is possible.

Checklist for trainer

Steps for trainer to complete	Check when complete
Choose CMS
Attend training on CMS if no prior experience
Access learner characteristics
Access orienting context
Construct thorough syllabus
Include detailed calendar of events for course
Create activities which enhance content
Develop thorough instructions for discussion expectations and etiquette
Spend time communicating with students throughout the course: discussions, emails, announcements

References:
Allen, I., Seaman, J., Garrett, R. (2007). Blending In: The Extent and Promise of Blended Education in the United States. Needham, MA: Sloan-C ™

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2012). Facilitating Online Learning. [vodcast]. Dr. George Piskurich.

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

Week 5: Open Courses

The Impact of Open Courses

Open courses are becoming popular as a way to gain knowledge in various topics ranging from astronomy to women’s studies through legitimate colleges and universities (usually)free of charge. Although there were many open course sites to choose from I decided to take a deeper look at Open Yale Courses. Specifically an American Studies course AMST 246: Hemingway, Fitzgerald , Faulkner. http://oyc.yale.edu/american-studies/amst-246
There is no credit given to the person for taking the course the site describes who the courses are for and why they would be beneficial to take the time to enroll.
What Yale Open courses are:
The online courses are designed for a wide range of people around the world, among them self-directed and life-long learners, educators, and high school and college students. The integrated, highly flexible web interface allows users, in effect, to audit Yale undergraduate courses if they wish to. Through its Open Educational Resources (OER) initiative, launched in 2001, the Hewlett Foundation "seeks to use information technology to help equalize access to knowledge and educational opportunities across the world." The initiative supports "the development and dissemination of high quality content, innovative approaches to remove barriers to the creation, use, re-use and sharing of high quality content, and projects that seek to improve understanding of the demand for openly available content." Visit http://www.hewlett.org.

Does the course appear to be carefully pre-planned and designed for a distance learning environment? Somewhat. The syllabus lists the texts being covered, the requirements of the student which include: section participation, two papers and a final exam. The only confusion I have is I cannot seem to find further explanation of the section participation. There are a total of 25 lectures. Each lecture has four options for obtaining the information. 1) Transcript (html), 2) audio (mp3), 3) Low bandwidth video and 4) high bandwidth video. Giving the learner options on how to obtain the information will help satisfy various learning styles. What I found to be smartly done by the designer of this course was to breakdown each lecture into lecture chapters. For example a 48 minute lecture is broken down into 8 chapters so if you do not have time listen to the entire lecture in one sitting you do not need to start from the beginning to finish it later.

Does the course follow recommendations for online instruction as listed in the course text? Simonson, Smaldino, Albright & Zvacek state: it is frustrating for students to begin in online course only to find that all the materials are not prepared or accessible at the time they need them (p.163). I feel the way the lectures are set up show a very well prepared aspect of the course as they are all available right away. On the flip side, understanding the learners is not going to be considered the way described in our textbook for an open course. Meaning the abilities of the class, learner characteristics, the context of learning experiences are not examined in an open course. The thought is the type of person seeking out an open course is a self-motivated, lifelong learner.

Did the course designer implement course activities that maximize active learning for the students? I am not finding active learning opportunities for this course. As I stated earlier there is mention in the syllabus that section participation is part of the requirements however, I am unable to find what this entails or where to go on the site to participate. The “kiss of death” for any distance course if the lack of student participation (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright & Zvacek p. 201). As far as I could find there was not active learning activities in this course.

  KWK

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