Week 1 Post

Distance Learning Defined

When asked to give my definition of distance learning, I thought, "How hard can that be?"  Distance learning is what I'm doing now. It's online learning, right?  Distance learning is computer-based instruction. The teacher is in one place, and the student is in a different place. It can be synchronous, such as the instructor providing an online lesson in real time, or it could be asynchronous, in which case I could look at that online lesson anytime I want.  Assignments are completed and submitted using drop boxes, postings to blogs, wikis, or conversation boards.  Students work independently or collaborate, but everything is done using technology.

What I learned from our week one resources was that I had a very narrow concept of distance learning. I've taken lots of distance learning classes without even realizing.  Remember all those advertisements asking, "Do you want to be an artist?" or how about the one that asked, "Do you want to write for children?"  Well, I took that course on writing for children, and it was a distance learning course.  The only technology use the use of a computer to type my assignments, but those assignments were submitted and returned on paper using what we now call snail mail.  Yes, I mailed my stories to my professor via the U.S. Postal system, and after several weeks I received a marked-up copy from my instructor.  Other examples of distance learning from my past includes satellite lectures in an MBA program, educational television programs, and WebEx trainings provided by our State Department of Education.  I also took several computer-based training on Microsoft Office and .Net programming that I did consider to be distance learning courses.  I found that these were actually not considered distance learning courses based on the definitions provided in this week's resources.

So, how do you define what is and isn't distance learning?  Well, one commonly accepted definition according to Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek (2009) requires four components:

1. The course or program is provided by an institution, such as a college, school, or company.
2. A separation of teacher and student exists, based on geography, time, and/or intellectually.
3. Interactive telecommunication occurs between the student and the teacher, either synchronously or asynchronously.
4. Connections exist between the teacher, student(s), and resources by sharing data, audio, or video, resulting in learning experiences.

However, there exists a number of other definitions of distance learning. The United States Department of Education defines distance learning as the application of telecommunications and electronic devices to enable instruction across distance locations (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek (2009).  That sounds a lot like my initial definition of distance learning, and I submit that that definition is too narrow.  Other definitions include Rumble's description that requires physical separation of student and teacher and two-way communication, and Keegan's definition that requires five elements including:

1. Separation of teacher and student.
2. Planning and preparation of learning materials by an educational organization.
3. Use of technical media.
4. Use of two-way communication.
5. Application of a primarily individual learning process.

More recent definitions include concepts such as open learning and virtual learning, which focus on the individualization and computer delivery of e-learning.

So in my revised personal definition of distance learning, I would propose that distance education requires the following features:

1. Separation of student and teacher during most or all of the instructional time.
2. Involvement of an instructional entity that plans, manages, and supports the instruction.
3. Two-way communication between the teacher and the student.
4. Interactivity using media such as print, audio, video or other computer-based tools.

This definition covers everything from correspondents courses to online learning management systems.  I believe that distance learning can be achieved in many ways, and therefore my definition is much broader than it was before.

In the future, I can envision the definition of distance learning becoming even broader as e-learning options grow. Consider the changes that have been made in just the last 10 years in electronic communication, delivery of information, accessibility of pre-recorded learning in both audio and video formats, and collaborative technologies that allow access to other individuals near and far.  I envision continued tremendous growth in the availability of tools and materials that support computer-based distance learning.  However, e-learning is no magic fix for educational needs in business, in higher learning, and certainly not in K-12 education.  What I do see as very promising is the integration of increasingly available distance learning with face-to-face instruction to provide a richer education for all students.  I agree with Huett, Moller, Foshay, and Coleman (2008) when they predict:
...our view for the future is actually quite positive: We just need to choose to view e-learning as the question rather than the answer.  In short, the Internet and e-learning make wonderful things possible if we decide, as educators and trainers, to exploit those possibilities intelligently and systematically.

References

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), 63–67. Retrieved from the Academic Search Complete.

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2009). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (4th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.