Perceptions on the Future of Distance Learning

In the future, the majority of the controversy surrounding online learning will have fallen by the wayside as more and more students take online learning courses and advanced degrees online.  According to Simonson et al, the 2009 Sloan Survey of Online Learning found that more than million students took at least one online course in the fall of 2008 (Simonson et al,. 2012, p.342)  According to Melissa Venable, “Online degree options are growing in numbers, both through online institutions and initiatives by traditional schools to offer online versions of their existing degree programs. The Sloan Consortium report, Class Differences: Online Education in the United States, 2010, provides evidence that "online enrollments have continued to grow at rates far in excess of the total higher education student population." This increase in online education enrollment will likely result in more graduates with online degrees in the job market (Venable, 2011).”  All of this will lead, in the next 5 to 10 years, to an acceptance by the majority of the population, or at least here in the US, as to the value and validity of distance learning.

As an instructional designer, it is my job and my duty to provide quality online coursework and online assets to continue this increased trust and acceptance.  “Research has demonstrated that aesthetics plays an important role in shaping user responses to products and websites. Users also draw on aesthetic factors to judge usability and credibility. In the technology setting of online classes, it is therefore important for educational institutions and faculty to consider the educational function of visual content and the aesthetic judgments that are being made by students. Including visual content and applying aesthetic standards during online course development can ultimately improve not only the visual appearance of course content but can also improve how students react to and interact with those courses (David & Peyton,2010).”   As distance education in the United States continues to increase in importance, instructional designers and the instructional design field will continue to be a critical component of the process of improvement.  Quality instructional design in distance education can “serve as a catalyst for change and growth in the education arena (Simonson et al., 2012, p. 289)” as well as the government and private business sectors.

Students are at the core of the success in distance learning experiences.  Quality learning and the experiences of students not only depends on the efforts and preparation of the instructional designer but is also determined by the efforts and preparation of the distant learner (Simonson et al., 2012, p.239).  As instructional designers and facilitators we will need to provide instruction which is student centered so that they learn to be independent knowledge seekers in their jobs and careers post course as well.

In the past , “employer assumptions about the quality of online programs have included a lack of academic rigor, low levels of interpersonal interaction, as well as questions about student commitment to the pursuit of education (Venable, 2011).  Programs such as the MS in IDT through Walden University, and the quality of the instructional designers coming out of such programs will help mitigate the previous perceptions.  As technology continues to increase at the pace we have seen in the past 5 to 10 years or even beyond, we will see the field of instructional design continue to grow and change to meet these demands.  As an instructional designer in this program, my role will be to counter misperceptions of those perceptions based on legacy experiences or media misinformation and through positive role modeling and quality instructional design act as a positive force in changing these perceptions for the better. 

David, A., & Glore,P., . (2010, October). The Impact of Design and Aesthetics on Usability, Credibility, and Learning in Online Courses. In World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education (Vol. 2010, No. 1, pp. 42-42).

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and Learning at a Distance: foundations of Distance Education. Boston: Pearson Education, Inc

Venable, M. (2011, June 6). [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://www.onlinecollege.org/2011/06/06/online-degrees-the-employers-perspective/

Converting F2F to an Online Format

As an instructional designer, given the following scenario and asked to assist the trainer, I would recommend several steps to follow in transitioning a face-to-face course to a blended online course.

 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, the training manager is considering putting all of his training material on a server so that trainees have access to resources and assignments at all times.

First,

The Impact of Open Source

 “The process of systematic planning for instruction is the outcome of many years of research. An analysis of the application of this process indicates that when instruction is designed within a system, learning occurs.  The instructional design development process must be based on the unique characteristics and needs of students meshed with the teaching style of the instructor and the course goals and content  (Simonson et al, 2012).”

In analyzing a free, open source course called Gamification developed by the University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School of Business and offered on Coursera, it is important to analyze the learners, the content, the teaching strategies and media, and the learning environment to determine if the course was pre-planned and well executed.  As this is a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course), we can only analyze this course and these findings cannot be extended to other Coursera courses as they are all designed independently.