My Definition of Distance Education
When defining "distance education" various definitions come from different sources. For instance, Boise State University defines distance education as, "courses that are taught at a distance, using educational technology" (2011). However, in reading about the history of Distance Education, we've learned that the earlier design of Distance Education included the use of the traditional postal mail system (Peters, 2004). With that information, my definition of Distance Education is: "Education that is delivered to its students through the use of non-traditional means." This means that the education is delivered to its students using a method that is different from the traditional classroom method. Distance Education may or may not include the use of modern educational technology.
Week One - Origins of Distance Education
Many factors of correspondence education in the mid 19th century are common with online learning today. While the earlier forms of correspondence education consisted mostly of written and/or hard copy materials, as well as the use of the traditional mail system to send and receive educational materials, this form of education allowed learners the opportunity to learn when convenient for them, and at their own pace. In each method, whether online or paper-based, the role of the instructor is to facilitate the course, thus keeping the students on track and at a recommended pace which is needed for success in the course. The instructor provides the students with guidance throughout the course as needed, as well as provides various insights about the topic of study. These services allow the students to learn about the topic of interest, and participate in exercises to broaden their knowledge of the topic at hand.
The underlying pedagogical theories are that the students gain information and skills that can be used in their lives and/or careers. They learn how to apply what they learn from the course through the use of hands-on applications. The forces that led to the development of correspondence education include: the lack of adults enrolling in school due to their inability to because of jobs and/or responsibilities, the need for education to be furthered by adults to benefit their quality of life, as well as their workplaces and careers, and high unemployment rates due to job loss (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2012). The increase in the use of technology over the years led to the development of online education. Currently, more than half of the households in the U.S. have access to the internet (eLearnPortal, 2011), with that, as the technology gap continues to narrow, and many companies see the benefit of online learning, as well as an increase in the percentage of enrollments in schools that offer online learning, the opportunity for adults broaden as they are presented with various ways to further their education in a convenient manner.
The use of technology to improve distance education provide adults with ways to interact in exercises and activities through the use of tools, such as simulations, which gives them the ability to engage in real-world activities that can be applied to the workplace, as well as other areas of their lives. Further, the use of technology in distance education also allows there to be various ways to communicate among the instructor and the students, as well as the advantage of submitting assignments and receiving grades back from submitted assignments faster than when using the traditional postal mail system.
Week Two - Characteristics of Distance Education
As I've completed the readings, and participated in the class activities over the past two weeks, I can say that the most unique characteristics of distance education is that no matter what the format, the goal is to provide students with the opportunity to learn with and from various places. There are various formats of distance education, and each format is designed to meet the unique needs of the students that are studying. When I first started reading about the history of education, and how the earlier forms of distance education used the postal mail system, I found it surprising that the postal mail system was considered to be a form of technology, and when I started researching on the various definitions of distance education; and read that distance education consisted of the use of educational technology, I was thinking about the technology that I have used and become familiar with since I have been a distance education student. As I read further, I read about the various forms of technology, and gained an understanding that when speaking on the use of technology in the earlier forms of distance education; the literature was referring to the postal mail system, video-conferencing, and audio cassettes (Peters, 2004).
In support of Peter's perspective of distance education, the most salient features of distance education is that it does contain characterisitics that support that it is an industrialized type of teaching and learning, where one party is responsible for one part of the distance education process, while another party is responsible for the other part of the distance education process in that distance education can only be accomplished through the participation of both the instructors and the students (Bernath & Vidal, 2007). The responsibility of the instructor is to create and plan lessons for the students to complete, whereas the responsibilities of the students are to complete the lessons and activities that are presented to them. Whether the distance education is taking place through the use of correspondence education, or through the use of advanced educational technology, the instructors and the students have similar responsibilities regardless of format. Distance education is only effective when the parties involved cooperate and do the part that they are responsible for (Bernath & Vidal, 2007). (As cited in Bernath & Vidal, 2007), it is unique that there are so many ways to bridge the "gap of understanding and communication between the teachers and learners caused by geographical distance that must be bridged through distinctive procedures in instructional design and the facilitation of interaction" (Moore & Kearsley, 2005, p. 223). However, it is being done through the use of applications that advance more as time progresses.
Week Four - Wave 1: Correspondence and Independence Study
My original definition of DE has not evolved any further than from the first week of this course because my definition of DE is, “Education that is delivered to its students through the use of non-traditional means.” My definition is a broad one in that it covers that the education is delivered by using methods that are not the traditional face-to-face classroom methods. Week four’s readings have further supported my definition by providing further evidence that DE is education that is delivered using non-traditional methods. According to Holmberg (2005), distance education originated from the hypothesis that teaching and learning can occur without face-to-face interaction among the instructors and the students (p. 13). The earlier forms of DE supported this hypothesis just as the present forms of distance education supports this hypothesis. The advancement in technology has allowed student-to-student interaction, as well as student-to-instructor interaction to drastically improve. Where communication was primarily one-way communication, it now occurs through multiple channels.
The first wave of Distance Education provided an overview of how DE originated as well as how DE was carried out for the students who made the choice to obtain an education through the limited channels of the earlier forms of DE. What I found most surprising about the first wave of DE is that the traditional mail system was considered to be a form of technology. Prior to reading about the traditional mail system being a technology, when I thought of technology, I thought of computers. However, the readings helped me to understand that technology is not limited to the advanced technology that we are familiar with, but older forms of technology such as the traditional mail system, the T.V. and the radio.
The most important work of early DE scholars was to research on ways to deliver distance education in a way that would make the learning effective to the distance education students. Doing this involved extensive research, and many theories were developed in an effort to make distance education as effective, and with quality that is equal to the traditional face-to-face classroom. One of the theories that contributed to the quality of distance education was Malcolm Knowles’ belief that the learning approach for adults should be different from the learning approach for children because the two parties learn differently. Andragogy is the term that is used to refer to the processes used to help adults learn (Bullen, 1995). The understanding of the processes used to teach adults effectively had to be understood prior to making sure that distance education was delivered to the adult learners in a way that would make it useful as they applied it to their lives, and finding research that supported ways to instruct adults, and to build on what was found to enhance adult learning was the most important work for DE scholars.
Studying the early development of DE might affect me as a student of DE and/or as a DE practitioner in that I will be more effective in both positions because I am aware of the hard work that was involved in getting DE to where it is in the present, as well as where it is going in the future. When an individual knows the logic behind something, they are more likely to work to maintain and enhance the quality of the subject.
In my experiences of being a DE student, and working collaboratively in small groups, I’ve always had pleasant experiences. One thing that I’ve learned is that one has to be prepared for the unexpected, meaning that in the event that one of the group members fail to participate and do their part; one has to be flexible enough to fill in to accommodate their role. Further, working in a collaborative group also means that one has to be patient, and understand that everyone doesn’t work on the same schedule and/or have the same demands. Some may be able to complete their tasks early while others may have to wait later to complete their tasks due to their schedules and the demand of their adult responsibilities; therefore, one has to be understanding patient, and flexible when working collaboratively in a small group. However, the learning experiences are very valuable because each person is assigned one section to focus on, and they are able to make thorough contributions because the responsibilities can be shared between the group members.
It was useful to create the grid to use as a divider for the different waves in DE. Using the grid made the different waves, and the things that occur during the different timeframes easier.
Week Seven - Wave 2: New Institutional Forms
The aspects of Wave 2 that were found to be most interesting were the fact that the videotape was added as a media to deliver distance education. Even with the knowledge that the videotape was made available, questions still arose as to how this particular media encouraged and/or produced two-way communication, and if it didn’t produce two-way communication, how did the teachers and the students interact? There was nothing that I found to be the least interesting in Wave 2.
As I gained an understanding of how autonomy and empathy connect to distance education, I gained an understanding of the characteristics that make successful distance education learners. The most interesting topics that I studied during this wave were the study of Michael Moore’s pedagogical categories of dialogue, structure, and autonomy. The “a-ha” moments came when I learned that when an individual had a “high” or “low” in any of these characteristics, it contributed to whether or not they were likely to perform better in the distance education environment or the face-to-face classroom environment. As I read about these characteristics, I began to think of ways that I can improve in specific areas.
After reading about the second wave of distance education, I might revise my original definition of Distance Education by adding more specifics to the definition. My current definition is rather broad, but after learning more and gaining a better understanding of distance education, I can elaborate on my current definition by stating that distance education is: “a method of learning that occurs in the non-traditional environment that consists of learners that have knowledge and skills in various areas, and that receive an education through the application of interactions that are possible through the use of technology tools that bridge the gap and distance that exist between the learners and the instructors.” The specific readings and experiences that have influenced my understanding of DE are readings from: Peters, Moore, Bullen, and Holmberg.The expert video from Tony Bates gave me a better background on the history of Distance Education as far as who was responsible for the further development of British Open University in the area of instructional design, and how a decision was made on the learning model that the Open University would follow. Bates spoke on how the Open University should follow learning models that are similar to the traditional universities to ensure that a quality education is provided to distance learners just as a quality education is provided to traditional learners. My impression of the video is that it provided the realization of the importance of making sure that not only the distance education students know that they are receiving a quality education, but the general public should understand the instructional models, and the quality of education that is provided in Distance Education institutions, and the ways that distance education institutions provide an education that is equivalent to that of the face-to-face institutions.
As I reviewed the course objectives listed in the Syllabus, and thought about the activities and the content that was presented throughout the semester, I can say with confidence that all of the objectives were fulfilled. The readings and the activities allowed us to: (1) identify the unique characteristics in distance education; this was fulfilled through reading the articles that were presented to us throughout the course. What stood out to me is the fact that three of the characteristics that are present in the distance education environment are: structure, dialog, and autonomy. As we read about the evolution of distance education, as well as the industrialization of distance education, among other topics, the second objective was fulfilled. We identified key authors, such as Michael Moore, who presented the theory of Transactional Distance, and Malcolm Knowles, who presented the theory of andragogy, which fulfilled the third objective. Every activity and assignment presented to us in this course fulfilled the objectives listed in the syllabus. Further, we participated in engaging activities, such as the group project, which encouraged us to use various technology applications, such as Google Docs, Twitter, etc. The activities that were provided to us by the instructors allowed us to be exposed to every objective to the fullest degree.
Week Three - Week Nine
The most influential development of the third wave is the emergence of the internet, and other online technologies. I see this as the most influential development because the use of the internet and other online tools take distance education to another level. These tools allow for more 2-way communication, which in turn opens the door for more connectivity and interactivity among the students and the instructors.
The use of social-networking sites as a tool to enhance the distance education environment was an “a-ha” moment for me. What made this an “a-ha” moment for me is that I use social networking sites primarily to socialize and connect with other for personal reasons. However, including social-networking sites in the distance education environment can enhance student learning. Further, the fact that the structure of distance education changed the instructional environment, making it more student-centered instead of teacher-center was also an “a-ha” moment. The student-centered learning environment makes learning more interesting for both the students and the instructors, and this increase in the interest in learning promotes an increase in student participation.
This is how my original definition has changed:
First definition: "Education that is delivered to its students through the use of non-traditional means." This means that the education is delivered to its students using a method that is different from the traditional classroom method.
Second definition: Distance education is: “a method of learning that occurs in the non-traditional environment that consists of learners that have knowledge and skills in various areas, and that receive an education through the application of interactions that are possible through the use of technology tools that bridge the gap and distance that exist between the learners and the instructors.” The combination of classroom and group interactions, as well as the reading from various authors throughout the semester is what influenced me to change my definition of distance education.
Week Eleven
The revolutionary grid was a great learning tool to use as we progressed through the OMDE 601 course. It made the learning process smoother because it was broken into sections based on the different waves of distance education, which made the changes and learning about the changes easier to understand and follow.
My Views
(As a learner both traditional and online):
Being that I have completed the majority of my post-secondary education online, I view myself as a very strong and disciplined learner. From my preferences and online experiences, I believe that I am a better learner in the online setting than in the traditional classroom setting because I can take the time that I need to review the learning materials to gain a thorough understanding prior to participating in the classroom discussions. Further, when it comes to speaking in the traditional classroom setting, I tend to be the listener more than the speaker; whereas, in the online setting, I have no problem with sharing my thoughts and input on the topics of discussion. I also enjoy learning about and using the various forms of technology that is available to the distance education learner.
(On MDE):
My view on MDE has changed in that I now have a better understanding of the various technologies that are used in distance education. Studying the history of distance education helped me realize that what appears to be the most general method, (the postal mail system), is considered to be a form of technology, which gave me a better understanding of Boise State University's definition of distance education. When I first read that definition, prior to reading further along in the assigned readings, I thought that Boise State was only referring to contemporary distance education technology; but as I read further, I gained the understanding of the earlier forms of technology that was used in distance education.
References
Bernath, B., & Vidal, M. (2007). The theories and the theorists: Why theory is important for research.
Distance et saviors, 5(3), 427-458. Available from: http://www.box.com/s/fsgilnj1zxsnlbjgzi0b
Boise State University. (2011). What is distance education? Retrieved from http://www.boisestate.edu/distance/whatis.shtml
Bullen, M. (1995, June). Andragogy and university distance education. Paper presented to the 17th conference on the International Council for Open and Distance Education, Birmingham, UK. Available from http://www.box.com/s/ap4nq2zf1jujkyo65pz0
Holmberg, B. (2005). The evolution, principles, and practice of distance education (pp. 13-36). Oldenburg, Germany: BIS-Verlag der Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg. Available from http://www.box.com/shared/y97qyc7m0t
Moore, M. G. (2006). Evolution of theory and transactional distance. Presentation at the Fourth EDEN Research Workshop, 25-28 October, 2006, Castelldefels, Spain. Available here http://www.box.com/s/4vtt915puckx6lnnel6n
Peters, O. (2004). Growing importance of distance education in the world. In O. Peters, Distance education in transition: New trends and challenges (4th ed.) (pp. 13-24). Oldenburg, Germany: BIS-Verlag der Carlvon Ossietzky Universitat Oldenburg. Available from: http://www.box.com/shared/5x3tpynggf
