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/
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