The Future of Distance Learning

According to Dr. Siemens (Laureate Education, n.d.), distance education is experiencing growing acceptance in our society. This acceptance of distance learning is related to the growing diffusion and inclusion of the internet and communication technologies for personal use. Americans are becoming accustomed to experiencing satisfactory communication that is other than face to face. Dr. Siemens feels that distance education will increase as the technical capabilities improve and become even more integrated into the daily lives of Americans.

Taking into account our increasing use of internet technologies for communication and our very mobile society, I believe that distance learning will not only grow in acceptance in the next 5-10 years, but that in 10-20 years distance learning will overtake traditional education to become the standard for learning. All over the country, election time brings yearly pleas for more education funding in order to support decreased classroom size, increased staff and maintenance of aging physical plants, I feel that at some point soon society will determine that the traditional classroom model will be unsustainable. Coupled with seamless and integrated technology, distance learning will become the norm. I visualize day care centers where children are engaging in distance learning under the watchful eyes of the daycare staff, or children will engage in learning from their own homes, seamlessly connected with remote instructors who are specialists selected to meet the learning needs specific to that child.

Adult education will become more integrated into the workplace as employers offer custom courses at the workplace designed and delivered in conjunction with local or distant universities. Distance learning will become recreational as well as occupational as people learn for their own personal gain or pursue learning to obtain a degree.

Instructional designers are being educationally prepared to design and develop instruction that uses a variety of delivery methods including distance learning. As economic forces motivate educational institutions to save money, instructional designers can present new and more cost effective ways to deliver instruction through distance learning. Instructional designers must be prepared to present not only the best ways to deliver instruction using new technology, but also to demonstrate the economic value of each means of instructional delivery.

In my current role, I am responsible for the corporate education department. This department is responsible for the delivery of health information technology and corporate compliance training for an entire healthcare system. Although distance learning can be very expensive (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012) , in the healthcare business classroom training can be very expensive when salaries and staffing needs for healthcare staff are taken into account. I am currently working with the manager of my education team to research and implement distance learning technologies that will ultimately provide better instruction for our care providers and save the organization millions of dollars in training costs associated with delivering instruction to over 20,000 employees and thousands of contract physicians. In addition, I am working on a healthcare instructional design/education summit that will produce new literature and knowledge for the healthcare training and education sector.

References

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (n.d.). The future of distance education [Video webcast]. Retrieved from http://www.courseurl.com

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

Converting Classroom Courses to Blended Learning

Enhancing Your Classroom Program through Distance Learning

Blended learning can provide advantages not found in classroom training. Certain elements of classroom-based education can be enhanced in a distance learning format. A distance learning environment allows the opportunity for learners who are less verbal to interact equally in the courseroom. In addition, the distance learning environment can allow more time for reflection, leading to richer discussions and a deeper exploration of topics. The distance learning environment places a decreased burden of travel and time. However, you will need to carefully plan for a transition of classroom curriculum to a blended learning delivery format.

This guide will walk you through the steps of how to convert a classroom instructional program into a blended learning format using principles of best practice.  At a high level, you can divide best practices for distance learning into the following three categories: instructors, technology, and content design.

The Changing Role of the Trainer

Your role, as an instructor or trainer, will change from to that of a facilitator of a course. As such, it will be important to understand exactly how the class will be structured and what activities the learners will encounter during each section of the course. As a facilitator, you will be responsible for monitoring student activity and keeping students engaged and to ensure that learners are involved in course activities (Piskurich, n.d.).

Facilitating Communication and Learning among Students

One of the advantages of distance learning is that the courseroom format allows for equal participation for all students and allows quieter students the opportunity to participate that may not happen in the classroom. You can increase courseroom learning by ensuring that students are actively engaged in course discussions and projects, this can be done through course design such as requiring a certain type and amount of discussion responses or by assigning group projects. As a facilitator, you can stimulate discussion by being present in the courseroom and by presenting stimulating questions or discussion topics (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, and Zvacek, 2012). 

PrePlanning Strategies to Consider

When you are converting a classroom-based course to a distance-learning course, you will need to address technology issues as well as course resources. You will need to analyze the learner audience and the technical abilities of the learners as well as the technical demands that the course will require. Before you begin to design the structure of the course, you will need to understand what the distance learning technology can and can’t do (Pickurich, n.d.). In addition, you will need to plan for course resources- the resources will need to be in digital format and in a format that is common and familiar to students. You will need to plan for where to locate the course resources so that they can easily be accessed by the students and updated by you, the course facilitator.

Converting a classroom course to a blended learning course will require you to analyze and redefine your role as an instructor, to understand the capabilities and design of your selected technology, and to use identified best practices to engage your learners in the new course format. By following the considerations provided here, you can successfully convert your classroom course into a blended-learning course.

References

Piskurich, G., Laureate Education (Producer). (2010). Facilitating online learning. [Online]. Retrieved from Walden University.

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

Click here to download a print copy of this blog for your personal use.

Instructional Design and Open Source Learning

It is important to carefully plan for any type of education, whether the delivery method is distance learning or classroom learning.  According to Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, and Zvacek (2012), there are considerations involved in the design of distance education, and that when the process is followed, students will learn. Just as a chef skillfully blends and balances various items to create a tasty and appealing meal, the instructional designer must careful consider the technology, the content, the learner, the method of instruction, and the course environment. When any of these elements are not considered, the success of the course may be impacted.

Open learning is an initiative that provides learners the opportunity to acquire new knowledge for personal learning without cost. Does not-for-credit open learning provide the same type of robust learning that is provided by for-credit classes that are delivered through distance learning?

Harvard University provides an open learning initiative that is accessible to anyone with a computer and internet connection: http://www.extension.harvard.edu/open-learning-initiative.  The Heroic and the Anti-Heroic in Classical Greek Civilization is one of the open learning course offered by the Harvard Open Learning initiative, http://www.extension.harvard.edu/open-learning-initiative/ancient-greek-civilization.  

Smaldino et. al (2012) list five considerations as essential to the design and delivery of successful distance learning. I will compare the open learning course The Heroic and the Anti-Heroic in Classical Greek Civilization with the five essential considerations for successful distance learning.

1) Identify and understand the learners

The course, The Heroic and the Anti-Heroic in Classical Greek Civilization, is a recording of a class that was delivered by lecture in the classroom. The course does not make an attempt to identify the secondary audience of learners who are viewing the recording, but was rather designed for the primary classroom audience.

2) Determine the primary content of the course

The primary content of the course was designed for the original classroom audience and it appears that the secondary audience of distance learners must fit into the content, rather than having the content fit into the purpose and needs of the distance learners. The course site lists the primary content of the course through links to syllabi and clearly defines and highlights links to lecture materials.

3) Determine delivery method and instructional strategy

The lecture series was packaged in way that would improve the delivery to distance learners. Embedding the video into a presentation screen allowed for easy display of notes and other classroom information. However, there was no interactivity with the secondary audience, simply a recording of interactivity that occurred during the classroom lecture sessions.

4) Understand the environment through which learning will be delivered

In order to prepare for a smooth distance learning experience, the video of the classroom lecture was resized to lessen the impact of delivering video to the learner accessing the course through an internet connection. The course navigation was fairly intuitive and each section of the course was clearly identified with links and descriptions. In addition, a link was provided for access to the course syllabus. The video controls allowed the learner to adjust volume and control the speed and progress of each video section. Any person that is able to navigate the internet is able to manage the functionality of the online course room.

5) Determine the evaluation plan

The instructional strategy for these open courses is to take the classroom lecture and deliver it asynchronously through the internet. There is no learner interaction or activities and no evaluation of the course required.

After a careful review of the course The Heroic and the Anti-Heroic in Classical Greek Civilization, delivered through the Harvard Open Learning Initiative course site, it is clear that the course delivery format was clearly and carefully designed so that any learner with some ability to navigate the internet could access the desired course modules. However, the learning content was simply a recorded presentation of classroom sessions, delivered asynchronously through the internet. This learning strategy precludes any interactivity between the learner and the course, providing a unilateral learning experience with no feedback or evaluation. However, for learners that desire information for personal learning and enjoyment, the Harvard Open Learning Initiatives provide a trouble-free means of gaining knowledge.

 

Harvard Open Learning Initiative, http://www.extension.harvard.edu/open-learning-initiative

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

The Heroic and the Anti-Heroic in Classical Greek Civilization (n.d.) Harvard Open Learning Initiative, http://www.extension.harvard.edu/open-learning-initiative/ancient-greek-civilization

Considerations for Distance Learning

One of the benefits of distance learning is that training can be delivered to multiple locations at any time. However, creating a distance learning course is not quite as straightforward as you might think.

In order to meet the safety training needs of a biodiesel manufacturer, an asynchronous training delivery method is best suited to deliver instruction to round the clock shifts of employees. To meet the learning needs and effectively delivery the necessary content for this organization, the distance learning technologies must be carefully selected so that they will function as needed, and that the course provides the optimal learning environment with elements such as interactivity that foster learning (Beldarrain, 2006).

The learning requirements for safety training at the biodiesel manufacturer included:
• Asynchronous delivery
• Incorporate multiple machines and processes
• Step-by-step processes
• Engaging for employees
• Skills/knowledge demonstration and validation
• Tracking and monitoring of learning progress

In order to fulfill the learning requirements of this organization, the distance learning must include web 2.0 tools such as video, wikis and blogs to increase learner engagement (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright & Zyacek, 2012). Often, blogs are used to review and track student learning (Beldarrain, 2006). A search of the internet provided many organizations that sell safety courses designed to satisfy OSHA and other safety requirements http://www.osha-safety-training.net/, and http://slidesandnotes.blogspot.com/2011/02/case-study-of-ibm-employee-training.html. In addition, my organization provides healthcare-focused safety and security videos that are available asynchronously through the organization’s intranet and learning management system. These courses include video, written case studies, and assessments of learning. The system tracks the activities of each learner and sends out reminders when the training is due and past due.

Beldarrain, Y. (2006). Distance education trends: Integrating new technologies to foster student interaction and collaboration. Distance Education, 27(2),139–153.

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

Distance Learning

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Welcome to my blog site id4healthcare. Designing instruction for healthcare technology is a complex process with scant literature to guide the process. In order to share the knowledge that I am gaining as I complete my graduate degree in Instructional Design, I have created a blog site where I will share information and insights. The focus for the next two months will be on Distance Learning and Instructional Design. I hope that you will find this information helpful to you in your own professional practice.

-Brenda

Distance Learning

For the past ten years or more, distance education in my life has been synonymous with obtaining and advancing a college education. My undergraduate and master’s degree courses were delivered partially through the class-room and partially through an on-line delivery method. At that time, distance learning was just beginning to gain momentum in the public educational arena (Huett, Moller, Foshay, & Coleman, 2008).

As a child I completed correspondence courses, an early form of distance learning. However, these correspondence courses did not advance my career or formal education. Successful completion of the courses resulted in a certificate, but the certificate was an indicator of personal interest learning and not viable for a college degree or for a job promotion.

Since my early experience with distance learning, which was a self-driven attempt to increase personal learning, I have found that distance learning involves distance teaching and distance learning. When distance teaching is added to the equation, it adds an extra relational element to learning by including a guide in the learning process who can direct and steer the learning process.

With an understanding that distance learning now includes both an instructor and a learner, my definition of distance learning has evolved to encompass the following items:

• An instructor and a learner
• A specific course or topic that is part of a cohesive program
• Learning is part of a degree or certificate program
• The program is accredited by a governing body
• The program provides skills or knowledge that develop the learner’s ability to produce work

I believe that distance learning will play an increasing role in the delivery of both formal education and work-related training (Moller, Foshay, & Huett, 2008a). I think that there will be specific instances where distance learning will be the most economical and most appropriate way to deliver learning for specific audiences and specific topics. As school districts are constantly struggling with decreasing budgets, I can envision that some public education will be transferred to using a distance learning format (Moller, Foshay, & Huett, 2008b). I also feel that there will always be cases where learning and training will be best delivered through a classroom or a hands-on mentoring type of delivery method.

References
Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Huett, J. (2008a). 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.

Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Huett, J. (2008b). The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the web (Part 2: Higher education). TechTrends, 52(4), 66-70.

Huett, J., Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Coleman, C. (2008). The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the web (Part 3: K12). TechTrends, 52(5), 63–6 7.

 

Uses for distance education.

 

Learning in a Nutshell

Prior to taking a course in learning theory, I believed that learning could be best illustrated using a straightforward, rational cognitive process. Designing instruction involved formatting data logically, designing linear content delivery that helps the learner organize and retrieve information, and creating an evaluation to determine the success of information transfer (Ormrod, Schunk, & Gredler, 2009). I found that instruction was most successful when delivered using methods suited for the audience, such as adult learning theory (Foley, 2004).

After only one week of class, I was surprised to find that learning is a complex process that has been studied for centuries but is far from being fully understood. Learning involves not only cognition, but also includes repetition, connection, validation, and adequate inflow of information. Learning can be impacted by emotion, mood, and a person’s inborn disposition. In addition to the unknowns of learning, I found that little is known about intelligence, which was historically used to measure the potential ability to learn. There is no standard definition for intelligence, and additional definitions of intelligence are emerging. Gardner has taken the original concept of intelligence and applied the term to at least eight different types of intelligence that include linguistic, logical/mathematical, spatial, body/kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalistic intelligence (Garner, 2003).

As we explored learning theories, I found that only a few of the theories actually attempted to explain the process of moving data from intake to long term memory. The theory of behaviorism proposes that behavior can be changed through repetition, stimulus, and response. Behaviorism appears to provide a sound method for teaching foundational concepts and facts. Cognitivism is another learning theory that proposes that information must be received, attended to, and then moved from short-term memory to long-term memory where it is organized and stored for easy retrieval. Cognitivism appears to be a suitable theory for teaching concepts, problem solving, and reasoning. Learning theories are not comprehensive, but address a spectrum of learner needs, instruction types, and learning environment. Constructivism constitutes an additional learning theory that seeks to place attainment of knowledge into contexts that are meaningful to the learner, and then validated by the learner. Constructivism is associated with advanced knowledge acquisition, synthesis, and evaluation (Ertmer & Newby, 1993). Social learning (Ormrod, Schunk, & Gredler, 2009) and connectivism (Conlan, Grabowski, & Smith, 2003) appear to address how information is attained and evaluated rather than how information is processed in the learner’s brain, and adult learning theory addresses the context and delivery of information in order to meet the learning needs of adults (Knowles, Holton, & Swanson, 2005).

Learners have preferred means of learning, such as visual or auditory delivery; however, each learner is able to use all means of learning. Rather than construct separate and complex instructional plans for each type of learner, there are learning strategies that can be used to help all types of learners to transfer learning optimally. These techniques include elaboration, or drawing inferences from information, and self-monitoring of learning comprehension. The introduction of learning technologies have provided new ways to help learners achieve transfer of learning by providing the ability to deliver learning content using visual and auditory means, by providing feedback, reinforcement, self-monitoring, and self-guided review of information. In addition, learning technology can connect the learner with a larger community that may not be in physical proximity, and can deliver volumes of rapidly advancing information that was not historically accessible.

One of the most interesting things about learning is the connection between emotions, motivation, and learning. Just as you can bring a horse to water but can’t make him drink, you can deliver content to a learner but motivation is what drives him or her learn. Some learners are more motivated to learn than others are by virtue of their personality or age. However, when instruction is carefully designed to stimulate attention, connect the content to other areas of interest for the learner, to promote confidence in learning, and to provide a sense of satisfaction in learning, intrinsic learner motivation will be increased (Keller, 1999).

In the healthcare environment, creating eLearning and instructional design can be an expensive project, and failure to learn can have serious consequences. An understanding of learning theory, learning styles, motivation, and educational technology are all very useful for creating instructional design that is successful and valuable for an organization. Understanding how people learn, how they are motivated, and how technology can be used to enhance the learning process will help me to meet the needs of my learning audience in the future.

Conlan, J., Grabowski, S., & Smith, K. (2003). Adult learning. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Adult_Learning

Ertmer, P. A., & Newby, T. J. (1993). Behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism: Comparing critical features from an instructional design perspective. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 6(4), 50–71.

Foley, G. (Ed.). (2004). Dimensions of adult learning: Adult education and training in a global era. McGraw-Hill Education.

Gardner, H. (2003, April 21). Multiple intelligences after 20 years. Paper presented to the American Educational Research Association, Chicago, IL. Retrieved from http://www.pz.harvard.edu/PIs/HG_MI_after_20_years.pdf

Keller, J. M. (1999). Using the ARCS motivational process in computer-based instruction and distance education. New Directions for Teaching and Learning (78).

Knowles, M., Holton III, E., and Swanson, R. (2005). The Adult Learner. Sixth ed. Burlington, MA: Elsevier Butterworth Heinemann. (Original edition, 1973).

Ormrod, J., Schunk, D., & Gredler, M. (2009). Learning theories and instruction (Laureate custom edition). New York: Pearson.

Has Your Learning Style Changed?

Have you considered your personal learning style? How do you learn the best? What type of instruction may cause you to work harder to learn? What types of instruction do you try to avoid? When you look back on your learning history, have you always preferred the same type of learning style?

New learning theories have emerged in response to changes in the way that learning is delivered due to technology. Looking back on my life as a learner, I can identify specific times when my learning was accomplished using behaviorist models, at other times using cognitive models, and at other times using constructivist learning models. My learning needs and my motivations for learning have changed over time beginning with the need to gain foundational knowledge of history, to the advanced learning that occurred when historical concepts were analyzed and evaluated (Ertmer & Newby, 1993). As I matured as a learner, the means of instructional delivery became more important and I learned better when instruction was aligned with the principles of adult learning theory (Knowles, Holton & Swanson, 2005). However, there are still times when I need to learn foundational information and do best when this information is delivered using behaviorist models.

General Learning Theory Characteristics.

As seen in my illustration above, I believe that learning is a very fluid process and we can easily move from one learning style to another, depending on the need of the moment. This fluidity of learning has been aided by the integration of technology into our learning environment. Instruction is no longer delivered solely through the classroom and instructor setting. ELearning has enabled learners to take more control of their education and has provided a plethora of ways to obtain information. In addition, technology has allowed learners from disparate locations and settings to easily connect in learning communities. Instructors can more easily adapt instruction to the needs of each learner through the use of technology, and learning feedback can be more immediate in terms of reinforcement or correction. Learners are able to access quantities of information with a few keystrokes that in the past required hours of time and multiple trips to a library or other location where information was stored and available.

I feel that my learning has been greatly enabled by the introduction and integration of technology into my life. I have access to more information than I can possible attend to in my entire life. Because of the easy availability of information and the quick access to information, my style of learning has become more unfocused in many ways as I seek to grab quick “sound-bites” of information that meet my immediate learning need (Conlan, Grabowski & Smith, 2003). The process of reflecting and evaluating information has taken more conscious effort when it is so easy to continue to add more data without taking the time to adequately process the information.

References

Conlan, J., Grabowski, S., & Smith, K. (2003). Adult learning. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Adult_Learning

Ertmer, P. A., & Newby, T. J. (1993). Behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism: Comparing critical features from an instructional design perspective. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 6(4), 50–71.

Knowles, M., Holton III, E., and Swanson, R. (2005). The Adult Learner. Sixth ed. Burlington, MA: Elsevier Butterworth Heinemann. (Original edition, 1973).

Is Connectivism a New Way of Learning?

Connectivism

According to the theories of George Siemens, the principles of connectivism include the following:

• Learning and knowledge rest in diversity of opinions.
• Learning is a process of connecting specialized nodes or information sources.
• Learning may reside in non-human appliances.
• Capacity to know more is more critical than what is currently known.
• Nurturing and maintaining connections is needed to facilitate continual learning.
• Ability to see connections between fields, ideas, and concepts is a core skill.
• Currency (accurate, up-to-date knowledge) is the intent of all connectivist learning activities.

Decision-making itself is a learning process. Choosing what to learn and the meaning of incoming information is seen through the lens of a shifting reality. While there is a right answer now, it may be wrong tomorrow due to alterations in the information climate affecting the decision [Siemens, 2005, para. 24], (Davis, Edmunds, & Kelly-Bateman, 2008).

I would propose that even though I wish connectivism provided a new way of learning for me, I am still dependent on my eyes to read information and my ears to hear information. After my eyes or ears have picked up the information, my brain must still attend to the data and process it so that it either receives short-term attention, or is neatly filed into long-term memory in a way that can be used by my brain later when the need arises. Therefore, my learning processes have not changed with the increased availablity and grown of information.

What has changed is the amount of information that I am able to access, the freshness of the information, and the means with which I access the information. Instead of obtaining instruction from a textbook, instructor, the library, or classroom discussion, I can now obtain instruction from many sources through my computer. Contributions to knowledge occur more rapidly and are disseminated very quickly via the internet. 

Although the rise of the internet has provided many great advantages for learners has and decreased the number of hours spent at the library attempting to locate obscure and possibly outdated information, the internet also provides a nebulous source of learning. Information often cannot be verified as true, false, new, old, or relevant. When information needs to be validated, personal learning networks are a valuable source of verification. Communication can be almost instantaneous, therefore it is easy to contact trusted associates and colleagues in order to verify, further develop, or discuss information that is found on the internet. Our personal networks can be professional, scholarly, or can consist of friends and family that we trust. Connectivism, when seen as a means of gathering, increasing, and verifying information, is a valuable process.

Unfortunately, even with the advances in technology that can now bring volumes of information to my computer screen, connectivism does not change the way that I learn. It might force me to speed up my learning processes to keep pace with information, but I must still read or listen in order to place information into my brain where it can be analyzed, filed, stored, and retrieved at the opportune time. I’m still waiting for the day when I can information directly into my head and bypass the time-consuming process of hearing and listening!

 Conlan, J., Grabowski, S., & Smith, K. (2003). Adult learning. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Adult_Learning

Modern Communication

The general public did not use computer technology until I was past early adulthood.  Now the internet has allowed me to reconnect with college friends in Australia, South American, Canada, Mexico, Europe, and every state in the US.   Professionally, I can collaborate to write an article or create a conference presentation with a person located across the country, or even across the world.  I can use the internet and a wealth of information provided by fellow professionals to gather data in a matter of minutes and a few keystrokes rather than taking a lengthy trip to a library.

Have you ever tried to map out the ways that you gather and receive professional communication and information? The attached mind map is a high-level representation of my professional communication network. Without space contraints,  I could have added layer after layer of contacts to this mind map.  Even in the current state, it is very impressive to see how my business communication and information network has expanded since the emergence of the internet.

Professional Learning Network