Distance education has existed in various forms for centuries. The growth of the internet over the last decade has allowed distance education to become mainstream (Simonson, n.d.). Simonson discusses in the video, “Distance education: the next generation” that most innovations follow a S-shaped curve. A new innovation first requires promotion by key social figures until eventually it will reach a point of critical mass at which point it no longer requires promotion, but rather support (Simonson, n.d.). Because of the wide-spread use of distance education distance education appears to be nearing this point of critical mass. At this point, it is still important to look at what the future perceptions of distance education will become and how I, as an instructional designer, can improve distance education and its perceptions.
Before looking at what the future perceptions of distance education may be I want to first discuss current perceptions. After interviewing a small number of highly educated individuals, I found that most individuals who are hesitant about distance education courses have yet to participate in one (personal communication, December 20, 2010). On the other hand, most individuals who are taken a distance education course have found the quality to be higher than expected (personal communication, December 20, 2010). My assumption will be that the future perceptions of distance education will be directly related to the number of individuals who partake in a distance education course.
Not all distance education courses have been designed based on sound instructional design principles. Unfortunately some designers have used the ‘craft approach’ for creating online courses. This essentially means trying to model the online course after the set-up and design of a traditional course (Moller, Foshay, & Huett, 2008). As an instructional designer, it is important for me to promote distance education courses that have been designed with instructional design principles in the forefront.
In order to continue the improvement of distance education and its perceptions, it is important for me to continue to stay informed with new findings and studies in instructional design and education. The field is ever-changing and I will need to stay current in order to continue the improvement of distance education. In addition, I believe it is important to develop an accreditation system by which courses that follow sound instructional design principles will be accredited. This will allow instructional designers and searching students to pinpoint distance education courses that will maximize their learning.
References
Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Huett, J. (2008). The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the web (Part 2: Higher education). TechTrends, 52(4), 66–70.
Simonson, M. (n.d.). Distance education: The next generation. Retrieved from: http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=6052001&Survey=1&47=8115912&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=1&bhcp=1
Just to inform you that I am one of your blog followers and look forward to sharing ideas during the course on Project Management for education and training. Our sharing of ideas goes way back from the inception of the program. I am sure this course reminds you of our group course project, hard work but fun.
ReplyDelete