Learning Journal

Defining Distance Education

Posted 6/17/2012

Written 6/01/2012

My initial definition of distance education:

My definition of distance education is any form of instruction where the trainer and student are unable to interact in a face-to-face setting. This can consist of the more modern online computer based teaching as well as mail correspondence and any number of variations in the middle.

Reflecting and Redefining Distance Education

Posted 6/17/2012
Written 6/17/2012

While my initial definition of distance education is very focused on what keeps students and teachers apart, I would like to redefine it by including the various factors that bring it together.  Distance Education is instruction wherein the student and the instructor are not interacting in a face-to-face setting, this is still true; however, it does not consider the requirements for such instruction to be effective.  Distance education requires the use of available technology and support from students and faculty, as well as self-motivated, dedicated students.

This was never clearer to me than through my own learning experiences as a student.  Having taken numerous years break from schooling, I was ill-prepared to find myself in a classroom again, especially a virtual one. Unused to organizing my time between classes, I found myself concentrating on one at a time, forcing me to finish one course on Monday, and scramble the rest of the week for the others. To be a successful distance education student, I clearly need to regulate myself better!  

I also regularly reach for the support of my fiancee, discussing class matters and reading him my essays.  He is currently a student at UMUC, and attempting to get a Masters of his own.

My initial views on receiving an MDE were focused on what I already know. As an experienced instructional designer I thought the course assignments would be not unlike what I already do professionally. I was expecting to create outlines and storyboards, perhaps experiment with Instructional Designing software such as Captivate. Now I realize that by starting with these things, I was coming in backwards; before I can do the WHAT of Instructional Design, I need to understand the WHY.  I may know what I'm doing, but I'm missing the history of where it came from, and why it's important.

Wave 2: Understanding Evolution of DE

Posted 7/18/2012
Written 7/18/2012

Review your group's (r)evolutionary grid. What aspects of Wave 2 did you find to be the most interesting? Why? What was the least interesting?

The Second Wave of Distance Education seemed to focus primarily on Open Universities, something I found particularly appealing!  I am unsure wherein exactly my draw is with open universities but I find the cultural function they serve absolutely fascinating.

Honestly, and I am aware that there is flawed logic here, I find the theory vs. the practical application the least interesting part of Wave 2.  This may be an overall issue I have with learning; a preference for the more obviously applicable.  For comparison, this week I had two papers assigned; one for OMDE 601 and one for DETT 607.  In OMDE I was comparing and contrasting two open universities from countries with different socio-economic backgrounds.  In DETT 607 I was to create a Learning Plan for a theoretical web-based course I was designing.  Of the two I found DETT 607 MUCH easier to complete, and I wrote steadily for over eight pages easily, whereas in OMDE 601 I found myself struggling to meet the word requirement!

Clearly this is less a flaw in Wave 2 and more in my own personal development. 

What were your "a-ha!" moments during this wave? What incited these moments and how did they influence your understanding of DE?

My biggest "A-Ha!" moment in Wave 2 was based again in the comparison of different open universities.  When I was first introduced to the list by Peters, I created the research question to answer why there were so many open universities in China.  Despite creating a bibliography to answer that question, I didn't look into it in any more depth until I selected China as one of my two comparison countries for my research project.

As I set about determining the factors in China that mold their number of universities, as well as the specific ones that molded the Open University of China and then began to analyze South Korea the real purpose of open universities became clear to me.  Open Universities exist and operate to serve the needs of the students and the environment they exist in.

I had always known that this was Distance Educations primary function, but until that moment I had not quite understood how open universities fit into that function. 

After what you have read, learned, or experienced in studying this second wave, how might you revise your original definition of DE? What specific readings/experiences have influenced your understanding of DE?

Reviewing all the current iterations of my definition I would like to add the epiphany from the previous answers.  (Perhaps it is again telling that the theories I embrace the strongest are the ones I come to myself as a result of the readings, rather than the ones I read about.)

Distance Education is instruction wherein the student and the instructor are not interacting in a face-to-face setting. Distance education requires the use of available technology and support from students and faculty, as well as self-motivated, dedicated students.  Distance education exists to fill a learning gap and caters to the needs of its students.

Consider the seminar with our visiting scholar Torstein and the expert video from Tony Bates. What left a lasting impression on you? Tell us about your impression and how it affected your views about DE.

When speaking with Torstein I found his feedback on various study conferences very helpful.  The strongest impression received was based on his introduction video when he speaks about  the needs and importance for efficiency in distance education.  As someone who firmly believes in brevity and condensing of information into the most digestible piece its always nice when the experts agree with you! 

Go back to the course objectives listed in the Syllabus. Do you feel the objectives are being fulfilled and if so, how and to what degree? Are there objectives that are not being met? If so, which ones?

Reviewing the course objectives int he syllabus I feel as though all of these objectives are being well fulfilled.  As I review each one I can see how all activities to date have been involved in meeting these goals.

I am not surprised that this is the case; this is a course based on effective distance education!  It should be an exemplary distance education course!  For comparison, my fiancee is taking a Webtycho course on information assurance and as I observe his courses they are nowhere near as well crafted.  For example the teacher provides minimal feedback and does little to encourage dialogue among the students.  

Wave 3: Understanding Evolution of DE

Posted 8/15/2012
Written 7/19/2012

1. What do you see as the most influential development of this third wave and why?

I see the most influential development in the third wave was the integration of internet based technology into distance education.  While I had already noted that any developing technology is quickly put to use in a distance education environment, I really feel that the benefits of internet based technology were vast.  This technology was influential because of the number of doors it opened for educational purposes.  It created access to easier spreading of content to more and more people for less, allowing for the easier dissemination of information.  Since one of the primary functions of Distance Education is the access of education to those who would otherwise have difficulty obtaining it, this technology greatly impacted distance education in both the third wave and the present.  

2. Did you experience any "a-ha!" moments during this wave? Tell us more about them and what specifically made them "a-ha!" moments.

As we move into the third and the most recent trends I am less likely to experience these moments, unfortunately.  These are the waves I already know the most about, and are where my experience primarily lies.  When researching the grid for the study group project I hit on the largeness of the education/pay gap that really increased the desire for college education towards the earlier end of this wave.  Given how today one of reoccurring news stories themes is the plummeting value of a college education it makes me concerned that Distance Education in the university format may be hard it in the years to come.  However, with the increased market in On-the-Job training, will we be seeing a shift from university education based DE to more specific career training?  Not exactly an “Ah-ha!” moment but food for thought!   

3. Go back to your original definition and consider again how it has changed (and if it has). What specific readings, interactions, and/or discussions influenced the change?

Distance Education is instruction wherein the student and the instructor are not interacting in a face-to-face setting. Distance education requires the use of available technology and support from students and faculty, as well as self-motivated, dedicated students.  Distance education exists to fill a learning gap and caters to the needs of its students. 

My current definition still stands through Wave 3, I believe that this applies to the theories learned during this wave as well. 

During Wave 1, my definition was heavily influenced by Börje Holmberg and the focus on empathy and the kind of students necessary to be effective.

During Wave 2, my definition was influenced by my own research and Shale’s discussion of the differences between education in developing vs. developed countries.

4. Think of a real-world situation, perhaps your current work environment, where you could apply something that you have learned in this module. Describe this situation in your journal.

At work primarily my role requires no interaction with the student functioning as a student-technology based learning approach. One of the things I learned this module that I would like to try and include in my courses is a greater teacher presence.  I feel like this is possible while STILL being a technology only based course.  Currently there is no sense that this course was created by human beings for other human beings that are all taking this course at the same time if not together.  While it is difficult to create too much of a community, talking a bit about the existence of other students or providing a “teacher” figure for the students could help humanize the process.

Wave 4: Understanding Evolution of DE

Posted 8/15/2012
Written 8/15/2012


1. Review your group's (r)evolutionary grid. What are your thoughts about the grid as a learning tool and the process used to create the grid?

I liked the use of the grid as a learning tool, I felt that adding to it really created a sense of the different aspects of each of the distance education waves.  By answering the specific columns, as a group we had to really examine each of those different areas. 
  
2. Go back to your original definition of DE. What aspects of the course have influenced your understanding of DE? Based on what you have learned in the course, revise your original definition accordingly---and explain why you have changed (or not changed) your definition in the way you have.

I really have to say that my while my definition:

Distance Education is instruction wherein the student and the instructor are not interacting in a face-to-face setting. Distance education requires the use of available technology and support from students and faculty, as well as self-motivated, dedicated students.  Distance education exists to fill a learning gap and caters to the needs of its students.

has not changed over the last two waves, I do feel that its evolution has been a reflection of my evolving understanding of the various theories behind distance education.  My initial definition was not inaccurate, but it was very incomplete.  Initially I felt that although there were many things that COULD be true of distance education, the only universal truth was that it was taught at a difference.  Since then, through an analysis of the different waves and theories behind distance education it became clear that in addition to always being at a distance it would always require technology (from the postage stamp to the internet), student support,  motivated students and faculty.  Perhaps most importantly what was lacking before that became clear with Assignment#2 was the function distance education served by filling the necessary needs of wherever it may be.

3. Consider the overall course objectives (see the Course Syllabus). Were all or most of these objectives achieved? If so, in what ways and to what degree?

On re-reading the overall course objectives I feel as if these objectives were achieved.

I feel as if of the course of the entire course we have been examining all of these different characteristics on what makes distance education unique and who it is influenced by social, economic, and political factors.  While it didn’t seem as though we specifically sat down and wrote them all out individually, through each wave these factors were emphasized and explored.  Perhaps some of these things could have been examined a little more closely, with less self-research necessary, but alternatively by researching it as students we are more likely to remember it.  In general I feel as though we touched on all of the course objectives, but in order to get the most out of them we had to take it to the next step ourselves, which is not inherently a bad thing.

4. Take some time to reflect on your study group experience: What did you think about the experience of working together to create a collaborative document? What worked? What did not? What could your group have improved in order to realize a more smooth process? What do you see as benefits (or drawbacks) of online collaboration? How do you think the activity could be improved?

The study group experience is not one I am particularly fond of.  My group worked together largely effectively but separately.  I don’t think at any time we worked together as such, but each added things at our own pace.  I couldn’t tell you who added most information not provided by myself for example.  I feel like this should have been a more collaborative effort, but that it wasn’t was a failure of ourselves not the course.  To have improved our groups communication, we should have attempted to communicate more through email or called each other, or had any real communication that wasn’t through the grid itself.

In general benefit of online collaboration is the sense of community such an activity builds but in our case we never succeeded in building a community.

I am not sure how this could be improved to help groups like ours, ultimately I think groups either achieve this sense of community and collaboration or they don’t, and there is little to be done from the instructor’s point of view.  I don’t know how communication can be enforced!