Reflection
Distance
learning is going to continue to be a growing force in education. Universities and public school systems are
adding funding to meet the needs of their students to offer a more convenient
and bigger selection of courses available online. This does not have to be done in a complete
online format. Many universities are
offering hybrid or web-facilitated courses.
The Instructional Technology Council in 2009 cited a 53% increase in
hybrid courses and a 77% increase in web-facilitated courses. (Lokken, 2010). The continued growth of distance education
seems to align with the thought that online education will become commonplace
for all ages of students. In the next
5-10 years, I believe we will see the public perception begin to change and start
to embrace the idea of online learning without the apprehension that may be
felt by some today. It will also be a
time for boundaries to be established within the K-12 setting. There are issues that still remain as far as
funding and truancy below the university setting. I think more defined policies will start to
become a precedent for many to follow.
Following that period, online learning will provide education to almost
everyone in some format. Students may
start to think of colleges not just as traditional campuses but looking deeply
into the options that could allow them to stay home and work throughout their
education. The future of distance
education will be a strong factor in the future education of a great number of
learners.
My
role as an instructional designer will not only be in the design of courses but
to be a proponent of distance education.
By making courses that people can benefit from and have access to will
greatly assist in this cause. Currently
now as an administrator in a Virtual Academy, I have been bringing a great
amount of quality courses to my students.
But one area that I felt also needed addressed was the community. Our district partnered with the National Education
Foundation this year and I have been able to bring a multitude of courses to
our parents, teachers, and community for free.
A Teacher Academy has been set up for teachers to get training in areas
of their choosing as well as being able to receive professional development
credit which is required in our state. I
have also built a Parent Academy for community members to take courses ranging
from core courses to technology certifications.
Once people begin to see the value, they can share their experiences to
help change societal perception into a positive point of view.
I will continue to be a positive force for continuous
improvement in the field of distance education by staying informed and continuing my own
education within this field. I will stay
current on the new technology that provides a better distance learning experience. It is important to continue to evaluate each
course to make sure that the needs of the students were met and examine data to
see if students applied the new learning by enrolling in additional courses or
going into the work force. One method of
evaluation that could be used is the AEIOU approach. This evaluation process details a framework
that allows for key questions to be asked in order to be effective (Simonson,
Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012).
Through evaluation and continuous educational growth, this will allow me
to work for continuous improvement in the field of distance education.
It
is also important to change the viewpoint of skeptics. According to a study from the Association of
Public and Land-Grant Universities its states, “that 70 percent of the 10,000
faculty members surveyed believe that online courses are either
"inferior" or "somewhat inferior" to traditional ones.
Professors who have taught online are more positive about the approach, but 48
percent of them are likewise convinced that online courses are not as good as
face-to-face teaching.” (Benton, 2009).
This is an eye-opening reality that many do not feel an online education
is comparable to a traditional one. In
order to work with these people, especially the ones surveyed, whom are
educators, it is important they see the value.
This can be accomplished through blended or web-facilitated
learning. Working with an online format
will allow the positives to come through that may change their outlook.
Distance
education is a worth-while field that I will continue to work in throughout the
remainder of my career. I also feel that
this is the future of education and eventually society will accept and embrace
it.
