Distance Learning: Moving Beyond Its Years

          Distance learning, while far from a new concept, has come a long way from its early days of conception. From its days of being conducted through mail correspondence to today, distance learning has endured many facelifts, partially due to the increased ability of technology (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, and Zvacek, 2012). Assignments that once were sent in an envelope to an instructor several states or countries away in order to be graded through the U.S. mail can now be submitted to the same instructor in a matter of seconds through the Internet. Learners who were once forced to attend classes in a local environment now have the ability to complete coursework in subjects like marine biology through schools in Alaska without leaving Iowa through a few simple keystrokes. Everyday we see technology grow and evolve, and with each new development, the tools available for the distance learning environment become more and more numerous and accessible to online course facilitators and learners, allowing for more learning opportunities. In my opinion, it is the growth of these opportunities that allow for the growth in the perception of distance learning. As distance learning opportunities have increased, so has the integrity of these opportunities, and as they continue to grow over the next five to ten years, and even the next ten to twenty years, those attributes that were once seen as possible negative aspects of online learning will be so common it will be hard to fathom that these opportunities were every questioned.

         

          As instructional designers, it becomes our roles to create instructional experiences that rival those created for the traditional classroom. By using technological tools that engage the learner in their learning experience as well as in a well-organized format, learning online can be as motivating and exciting, if not more than those experiences in had in a traditional setting, at the same time allowing for the learner to complete coursework on a flexible time frame that meets their needs as well as ease their fears. By doing so, learners will theoretically have positive learning experiences, and will share their experiences with other potential learners. And as instructional designers who stay atop of new technologies that become available, the personal quality of these experiences can only be improve, which in turn has the potential to attract more learners.

        While I can’t speak for my fellow instructional design colleagues about how we as instructional designers can be a positive force for continuous improvement in the field of distance learning, I can speak for myself. In my opinion, it becomes my role to be an advocate for online learning by dispelling misrepresented facts about online learning to those who are hesitant to take the plunge into one of these increasingly growing opportunities. By remaining knowledgeable of emerging trends and technologies, I will be able to ease concerns of these learners as well as develop the tools they may or may not need to succeed.

        Distance learning isn’t going away. In my opinion, it is just the opposite. The present is pregnant with the future, and distance learning is becoming so common in today’s educational experiences that the learners of tomorrow will see it as we see fast food restaurants and disposable diapers today, and that would be as something so common, learning without it would be unfathomable (Voltaire, n.d.).

References:

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (5th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.

Voltaire (n.d). Retrieved from http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/future_5.html