The Attributes of Successful Distance Learners
From my experience and understanding, distance
learning is an interactive, flexible, and accessible instructional delivery
system. It incorporates a way of learning that delivers content online so that
class members and instructors can interact with each other over the Internet.
Distance learning also facilitates cooperative learning, collaborative
projects, and interactivity within groups of students. It also provides the
benefits of readily available multimedia online tools, such as audio, video,
CDs, email, etc. Furthermore, these tools are facilitated on technologies such
social networking sites, blogs, wikis, podcasts, and virtual communities
(Wikipedia, 2012). Many of my previous projects required self-study, while
others involved group collaboration to complete assignments. Therefore, I was
able to apply the needed discipline, intellectual ability and perseverance to
do the required research and analysis. This not only contributed to my academic
success, but also to my personal growth.
Several of my projects involved Internet research and group
collaboration. Additionally, my class projects that included group
collaboration provided me with the opportunity to cooperate and interact with
other learners as a team to complete assignments on time.
Distance learning can be adjusted to fit available
personal time for students, which is a benefit. However, this flexibility can
also be a weakness. Because distance
learning is largely self-directed and offers some flexibility, there is
potential for procrastination and a lack of self-discipline, along with
insufficient preparation for the course material (Morrison, Ross, Kalman, &
Kemp, 2011). This is something that I
have experienced on occasion when taking online classes. In fact,
procrastination is a problem that I still fight against even today. I believe
that some of this can be prevented if instructors and instructional designers
provide proper organizational conditions to allow flexibility, time, and
incentives to experiment with new instructional methods. However, it is
ultimately up to the student to exercise discipline and determination when
taking distance learning courses. Students have to address these courses with
the same level or perhaps even more attention than on-site courses.
In this course, I was able to learn that distance
learning also uses technology to provide two-way communication between teachers
and students to facilitate the necessary educational process (Simonson,
Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2011). Benefits for students include the
availability of instructional resources such as books, audio, video, and
graphic displays. Distance learning is also offered on media such as tablets,
cell phones, and e-mail. Online learners are also afforded the ability to
access course material and complete course assignments, without the time
constraints of classroom attendance. Instructors can benefit by having
potentially greater contact with students who are not as typically
communicative in face-to-face learning (Moller, Foshay, & Huett, 2008). As
an online student, I have experienced more productive and helpful interaction
with my instructors than I received in some of my on site classes. There is
also an enhanced sense of communication with fellow students.
Distance learning has to be effectively presented to
learners of every level to accommodate different types of learners while
adequately addressing their learning needs. Even though traditional
institutions can benefit from using electronic delivery methods, the new ways
of using technology have to be completely and efficiently employed and
understood by educators. It is also important to ensure that the technology
involved with course delivery not be difficult with regards to access and
navigation for users. Adult learners typically deal with time constraints and
various issues in their personal and working lives, and also have established
learning patterns and opinions. They may not always be particularly receptive
to this type of learning. Because distance learning is largely self-directed,
IDs and instructors have to efficiently engage all learners in decisions about
their learning, including the ability to communicate and collaborate with
unfamiliar colleagues and peers.
Colleges and universities have increasingly employed
technology for delivering instruction, and viewing distance learning as an
efficient way of sustaining enrollment growth (Moller, et al., 2008). Distance
education has become a mainstream educational delivery method, evidenced by
most colleges and universities providing a majority of their educational
offerings in web-based formats. They are using tools such as Wikis and blogs to build successful learning experiences and
projects for online education. Web conferencing tools such as Elluminate
and Skype are further important technolgies, since they can enable students,
instructors, workers, and others to communicate over long distances across the
globe.
It is clear that the future of learning on every
level, from grade school to universities and corporations, will increasingly
employ distance learning technologies for delivering instruction. My experience as a distance learner began
during my undergraduate studies. Although most of my classes involved onsite
attendance, I had the opportunity to take some online courses. For the distance
learning courses, I utilized learning management systems such as Blackboard and
Elluminate, where I communicated and interacted with instructors and students.
In the virtual classes we were able to participate in real time discussions and
listen to lectures. I found that online instruction is compatible with my
learning style, and it produced successful results for me. Distance learning
has become a popular choice in particular for people that are continuing
professional education and/or mid-career degree programs. Therefore, I was able
to relate to this since I chose the Instructional Design and Technology program
at Walden University. I believe that completing this master’s degree will
provide me with the professional knowledge, technical skills, and experience
that I need to be successful in the field of instructional design. The program
has also helped to motivate me to be an active part of the learning and
development community by participating in discussions, researching new
instructional methods and gaining knowledge about advancements in distance learning.
DISTANCE LEARNING MINDMAP (CLICK TO ENLARGE)
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.
Morrison, G. R., Ross, S. M., Kalman, H. K., & Kemp, J. E. (2011). Designing Effective Instruction (6th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning a distance: Foundations of distance education (5th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.
Wikipedia (2012). Web 2.0. Retrieved September 12, 2012 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_2.0
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