Module 1 - ECUC 7102

The three part article by Moller, Foshay, Huett and Coleman (2008), talks about distance education, or e-learning, in three settings; corporate training and development, higher education, and K-12 education.  What all three have in common are the cost saving benefits.  No travel or accommodations are required, it is convenient, and the learner can partake of a class or training session from any computer with Internet access no matter where they are, or the time of day.  The common concerns that are raised have to do with the quality of instruction, proper training of teachers, course development, and the need for successful evaluation and measurement methods for determining success.  In all three articles, the importance of instructional design is emphasized as a critical component necessary to ensure the integrity of the curriculum, content, its design, training, and instruction.

Simonson (2000) shares the belief that distance education and online learning is here to stay, and will continue to grow at a fairly brisk pace.  He stresses the importance of designing courses that will allow the online learner the opportunity to have equivalent educational experiences and outcomes as those students in face-to-face classrooms.

I too believe that distance education, online, and e-learning is positioned for further development and growth.  The corporate world recognized, long before educational institutions, the need to provide its employees with a cost effective, and convenient way to deliver training and support.  What they were not concerned with was the need to take it to the next level, which involves determining the effectiveness, and success, of their efforts.  Educational institutions, on the other hand, have been so concerned with how they would measure the success of online education that they have lagged behind and delayed the widespread implementation of these programs.  As more and more administrators and educational institutions realize the importance and growing popularity of distance education, they are becoming more interested in bringing instructional designers on board to work with them, and their teachers, in an effort to design effective courses and programs for the diverse learners that they serve.

References

Huett, J., Moller, L., Foshay, W. & Coleman, C. (2008, September/October). The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the Web (Part 3: K12). TechTrends, 52(5), 63–67.

Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Huett, J. (2008, May/June). The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the Web (Part 1: Training and Development). TechTrends, 52(3), 70–75. 

Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Huett, J. (2008, July/August). 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. (2000). Making decisions: The use of electronic technology in online classrooms. New Directions for Technology and Learning, 2000(84), 29-34. doi:10.1002/tl.844

Blogs to visit...

http://www.tuaw.com - this is an unofficial blog that talks about everything Apple

http://gigaom.com - this blog addresses various technologies and trends with contributions by many different authors