Distance learning has evolved from a way to make education generally more accessible to learners who needed to augment face-to-face experiences, to now becoming a standard, expected, and anticipated way of learning that has become part of “most learning environments” (Walden University, LLC, n.d.).
Before I began a formal study of instructional design and consideration of distance learning, I also would have categorized it as a paradigm of convenience. I used to teach legal research courses online and in person. I would have defined my online classes as a way to replicate and offer the same learning goals in a distance format as my face-to-face classes. My online offerings focused on making the class experience accessible to students who might otherwise not be able to take the course – for instance, most of my learners in the distance-learning format were away from the physical university and were taking the class online during the summer when they were completing internships elsewhere. I conceptualized my classes offered in the distance learning format as a way to reach as many people as possible (my in-person classes were capped at 20, whereas my distance learning classes were capped at 40 students), and as a way to give students flexibility, as they were able to “attend” classes (pre-recorded modules) at there leisure over weekly units (Moller, Foshay and Hewitt, 2008).
My introduction to distance learning also occurred about a decade ago, at a time when many universities were eager to expand upon this “newer” way of delivering education. I admit that I dived into this way of delivering instruction without always considering the implications of teaching in a distance format.
Reflecting on distance education this week, I would revise my definition of the term by conceptualizing it as a bringing together of teacher, learner, and learning community in an online space. This definition is influenced by the Naidu article from this week, which stated that media connects learners and teachers, with strong connections between teachers, learners, and their content creating successful distance learning experiences (Naidu, 2014).
Over the years I have pivoted to concerns about whether distance education can replicate or meet the same educational goals as traditional instruction. My vision for the future of distance education is a continued focus on accessibility (including reliable access to the internet in order to engage in distance education), broadened to be inclusive and focused on attaining measurable educational and learning goals, and a focus on learning effectiveness, rather than just increasing access.
Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Huett, J. (2008). 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). The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the web (Part 2: Higher education). TechTrends, 52(4), 66–70.
Naidu, S. (2014). Looking back, looking forward: the invention and reinvention of distance education Distance Education, 35(3), 263-270
Walden University, LLC. (Producer). (n.d.). Distance education: The next generation [Video file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu
Musings on Instructional Design 