Reflections in Distance Learning

Perceptions

When pondering the perceptions of distance learning in the future, I come to one conclusion and that is that the perception of distance education will continue to improve.  The perception in 5 – 10 years should yield a more favorable outlook and within 10-20 years, a very new and positive perspective in online learning.  I have always heard it said that history repeats itself and as George Siemens cites in the video program “The Future of Distance Education” there is an increase in acceptance of distance education because of an increase in communication and better availability of tools.  Communication technologies, multimedia quality and content delivery continue to improve (Siemens).   I recall, that just 7 years ago, many of my colleagues thought that online learning was not going to persist and that the quality of such educational opportunities were substandard.  Today, many are starting to recognize that the quality of the education is far from substandard and that many of our students are beginning to choose distance options at other schools.  Finally, I see a trend towards trying to understand how our college can enter the playing field.  It is sad when we lose out to other, more expensive schools, simply because we do not participate in a way that our students require.

As online education evolves I am curious to see how the new regulation from the Department of Education, that takes effect in July 2011, will impact distance education.  The regulation will require that institutions request and receive approval from every state in which they operate distance education programs (Inside Higher Ed, 2011).  As I have talked with one of the Vice President’s at my college, my understanding is that many states are charging a fee to colleges who want to offer distance learning to their state.  I worry that this model will prevent some of the smaller schools, with specialized programs, from experiencing the growth that they will need to sustain their distance education programs.

The Role of the Instructional Designer

I feel as though the role of the Instructional Designer as a proponent for improving societal perceptions of distance learning is to, first and foremost, educate others.  I know that at my college there is a large discrepancy in how people view what an instructional designer does and if it is needed.  Many do not seem to see the value add that an Instructional Designer brings to the table.  We are making strides with this but it is slow.

A second area that an Instructional Designer should concentrate efforts on is staying up to date with new and emerging technologies.  Being able to stay in tune with how to deliver the most effective course is important.  In addition to the new technologies, the Instructional Designer must sometimes remind others of where we have been, where we are and where we are going in the distance education.  Sometimes it cannot be appreciated where things stand today if we aren’t reminded of where we began.

My Contribution

How will I help be a positive influence in this field?  I plan to live it!  I plan to continue to teach and always support distance education by offering all of my courses in a hybrid to fully online experience.  I will continue to learn from my students by listening to their feedback and trying to incorporate better learning strategies the next time around.  I will continue formal education in the field and will immerse myself in the topic so that I help others see the benefits of obtaining help from someone who can look beyond the course content.  Perhaps, one day, my college will include a position for an Instructional Designer.  I have just the right person in mind for the job ;).

Best Practices

Converting a Face-to-Face (F2F) Course into a Blended Learning Format

Best Practices Guide

Introduction

So, as a trainer you have taught course XYZ a half a dozen times and always F2F.  The trainees provide positive feedback about the course and have indicated that they have enjoyed your lectures and humor in class.  However, they have failed to communicate effectively during training which has not produced the desired outcomes.  Therefore, you’ve been tasked with converting this training course into a blended course to offer your trainees a new modality for communicating and accessing course material.  Congratulations!  You have an exciting and wonderful opportunity to phase your training course into an online environment.  This new environment can extend your course offering to a larger audience, once it is refined.

This guide is offered as a starting point to prepare your course to be teleported to cyberspace.  The following topics will be explored in this guide:

·         Pre-Planning Strategies

·         Course enhancements in the Distance Learning (DL) environment

·         Role of the Trainer

·         Communicating online

·         Tips and Tricks for Success

As your course develops and evolves, there may be other considerations and changes that need to be made, but as with all new ventures, you have to start somewhere.  So, let’s get started!

Pre-Planning Strategies

Many people are anxious to just start throwing all their content online.  However, there is certainly more to it than that.  First, you must have a Course Management System (CMS).  A CMS can be called many things such as a “Learning Management System” (LMS)” (Simonson, Smaldiono, Albright, & Zvacek, 2009) or simply referred to as a “virtual learning environment” (Simonson, et al, 2009).  These systems are “designed to assist in the management of educational courses … especially helping teachers and learners with course administration” (Simonson, et al, 2009).  If you don’t already have a CMS, then researching an appropriate CMS will certainly be an action item on the pre-planning worksheet provided.  Just pushing content from the F2F environment to the CMS is not the best approach for your course.   (Simonson, et al, 2009).

Let’s take a look at the questions on the pre-planning worksheet provided to help you decide how to proceed.  Some blank spaces have been provided for questions that you want answered in this phase that have not already been pre-noted on the worksheet.

Pre-Planning Worksheet

Question	Answer	Action Item
How much of my course do I want online?  What tasks or activities can be completed online?
What elements of the course should I retain in the F2F environment?
Do I already have access to a CMS or do I need to choose one?
How do I envision the discussion boards being used to facilitate better conversations?
How will I motivate trainees to participate in the discussions?
How many students do I expect in my online course?  How will I manage them?  Will I use groups?
What technologies and/or access will I need for my course?
What technologies and/or access will my trainees need to be successful?
Do I have access to, or will I need help from an Instructional Designer?
What methods will I use to assess the effectiveness of this course?  Will I use the AEIOU method (Simonson, et al, 2009)?

Course Enhancements

When porting items to an online environment, there may be elements of the course that can be enhanced, using technology.  For example, you may have a video that you would like trainees to watch prior to a F2F interaction or training session.  Technologies can provide an enhancement to a course that might otherwise be plain and boring.

Discussion has already been identified as an area that will be enhanced in this course.  According to Simonson “…threaded discussions is one of the most powerful techniques in distance education…”  Some guidelines suggested by Simonson are that “discussion should be graded” (Simonson, et al), “take considerable effort” (Simonson, et al), and will take considerable effort on the trainers part.

Role of the Trainer

Based on your pre-planning worksheet, you probably have a sense that your role will change a bit in this new blended format.  You should be starting to realize that you will have more of a time commitment and that you will be facilitating more of the learning through discussion versus through lecture (Simonson, et al, 2009).  You will see the role of facilitating the communications in our next section.

Communicating Online

Communicating online is different than in a F2F environment.  Communications are asynchronous, meaning that they occur at different times.  Therefore, the conversation can continue around the clock.  This of course, can be a double edged sword.  Trainees will need to be responsible for taking part in active discussions and contributing to the discussions.  In addition to discussions, e-mail and other forms of electronic communication should be answered in a timely manner.

Let’s take a look at a couple of best practices for online communications.

·         “A student should make at a minimum at least three postings for each threaded discussion question – one in direct response to the questions, one posting in response to another student’s posting and one in response to what other students have posted –in order to build a thread” (Simonson, et al, 2009). 

·         As a Trainer, your role is to ensure that the thread is constructed by the trainees, providing clear direction on how to participate in the discussion and ensuring that the trainees are participating as directed.  In addition, the trainer is responsible for redirection, correction, clarification and guiding the trainees (Simonson, et al, 2009).

Tips and Tricks for Success

Tips and tricks are subtle things that I have learned over the years that seem to be effective.  The list is not all inclusive, but rather a jump start list that you should feel free to add to as you experience your own ‘lessons learned’.

1.     Timing is EVERYTHING!  If you expect participation in your course, then you must participate regularly.  Your trainees will expect prompt feedback.  This is especially true in the discussion area.  Trainees seem to feel more motivated when the Trainer acknowledges and provides some affirmation that the trainees comments were sufficient and on point.

2.     Be SUPPORTIVE!  Trainees may be new to the online environment and may not know how to use all of the technologies that the course uses.  Be patient, kind and directive on how they can access quick training on the use of the required technologies.  Trainees will not want to feel tricked or deceived into missing assignments.  In other words, don’t make the assignments, the fine print.  Make sure they are well aware of the criteria for the assignment and the due dates.  Reminders are very helpful and well received.  It builds trust between the trainees and the trainer which can increase, as well as maintain, motivation.

3.     Be clear on DUE DATES!  Make sure that assignments or tasks have due dates and that those due dates are very clear.  This helps the trainees plan their work accordingly.

4.     Don’t be afraid to try something NEW!  When a good idea suddenly isn’t working like you planned, don’t be afraid to try something new.  Be considerate of the trainees and not be radical in your approach, but trying a new method of delivery or a new type of assignment to reinforce learning objectives can strengthen the learning outcomes.

5.     Keep a JOURNAL.  As with any course, we can have that Ah-Ha moment when we realize that we should have done something differently.  Unfortunately, oftentimes it gets lost in the shuffle and the same error is repeated the next time the course is offered.  By keeping a journal of what went well and what needed improved upon can greatly help improve the course each time it is offered.  Surveying the trainees to better understand what they felt went well and what did not can greatly help with improvements as well.  Writing it down allows time for reflection later and justifying the reason you felt the way you did at that time will help you better understand the need for change or the need to retain a certain element in the way that it is currently.

6.     Keep your workload in check.  Simonson said that “one instructor can be responsible for two to four distance delivered courses at a time” (Simonson, et al, 2009).

References

Simonson, M., Smaldiono, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2009). Teaching and Learning at a Distance.

Open Source and Distance Learning

This week’s assignment was to evaluate an Open Source class and carefully consider if the course is appropriate as a distance learning course.

The course chosen for review was Introduction to Copyright Law by MIT.  I specifically chose this course because it included video lectures, which I find to be a nice addition to any distance learning program.  Many courses that I have taken in the past have had audio only portions or none at all.  Because I am a visual learner, I like to see something besides static print on a page so I look for courses that will excite my senses, so to speak.

Does the course appear to be carefully pre-planned and designed for a distance learning environment? How so?

This course appeared NOT to be carefully planned for the distance learning environment.  For example, in the first video segment, the Instructor, Keith Winstein, is about to give a live lecture.  He tells the class that they do not have to be on camera if they do not want to.  Obviously, the class was not well prepared ahead of time.  This course was a live course and recorded for use as a free course, leaving the impression that the distance learner is just an observer of a live classroom and that no real concern seems to be given to the learning outcome.  The syllabus is clearly written for the live classroom.  It speaks of class participation being expected and describes how students will be graded.  The course felt almost like a public service announcement, a one way communication with the hope that the message was received as intended.

The course contained a syllabus, readings, assignments and video lectures.  In addition, an option is given to download the course materials all packaged together, which was a nice option for the mobile learner.  The Readings page appeared to be useful for both classroom and distance learners alike.  Assignments were given, but there was no way to turn in the assignment or receive feedback or ask questions regarding the assignment.

Does the course follow the recommendations for online instruction as listed in your course textbook?

The course did not follow recommended guidelines for online instruction.  This course broke the first fundamental principle listed in the text – “Avoid dumping a face-to-face course onto the web” (Simonson, Smaldiono, Albright, & Zvacek, 2009).  This is exactly how this course is presented, as a complete dump.

In addition, the text breaks e-learning into cycles, that progress in complexity.  This course fit best into cycle 1.  Cycle 1 provides for basic level technologies such as web resources and other aids “without fundamentally altering their instructional strategies” (Simonson, et al, 2009).

Did the course designer implement course activities that maximize active learning for the students?

Yes.  The course does implement a course activity that appears to be designed to promote active learning.  As stated on the Ohio Learning Network website, “Active learning works because its goal is simple: To move students from passive recipients to motivated participants through more contextualized, hands-on teaching activities” (Use Active Learning Techniques) 

My observation of the assignment is that its weakness is that although students would need to be self-motivated to complete the assignment, there appears to be no feedback mechanism for the student to know if the work that they produce is of quality.

As an additional note, in sampling many of the courses on the site, it appears that the courses on this site are not updated after the initial release.

Conclusion

Although this course does not meet the requirements of a true online course, I find it difficult to be critical of the course because the intent is to provide general knowledge for the learner who is motivated to use the available resources to learn something of interest.  If the learner needs formal education, then he or she will seek a formal class on the subject matter.

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References

Simonson, M., Smaldiono, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2009). Teaching and Learning at a Distance.

Use Active Learning Techniques. (n.d.). Retrieved April 2, 2011, from The Ohio Learning Network: http://www.oln.org/ILT/7_principles/active.php

Winstein, Keith. 6.912 Introduction to Copyright Law, January IAP 2006. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology: MIT OpenCourseWare), http://ocw.mit.edu (Accessed 29 March, 2011). License: Creative Commons BY-NC-SA