Theories and Realities of Distance Education

Globalization and Educational Advancements

According to Simonson, Smaldino, & Zvacek (2015), distance education is "formal education...where interactive telecommunication systems are used to connect learners, resources, and instructors" (p. 6). Because of advances in technology and globalization in education, distance education is becoming more readily accepted and adopted. According to Mihladz (2018)

Globalization has led to a number of barriers and threats like commercialization of education and freely bought and sold knowledge, along with a number of great benefits like making use of latest technologies, revision of education programs and various learning opportunities.” (174)

An example of the benefits of globalization is that “in 2013, enrollment in online courses had increased to about 6.7 million from 2 million in 2003" (Simonson, et al., 2015, p. 4). Because of these technological advances and globalization, educational experiences can be provided for learners across the world, regardless of their location.

Again, because of advances in technology and globalization, distance education is becoming more readily accepted and adopted; and included in this increase of acceptance and adoption of distance education are the increases in the number of opinions provided by theorists, students and educators (and, of course, the general public, who has an opinion on everything). So, as an educator, I have reviewed the work regarding distance education published by theorists, and as a student I have derived some opinions of my own (of course)! I have been involved in both effective and ineffective distance education courses, so my personal experiences have verified some of the implications made by educational theorists.

Effective Distance Education Experience

One of the most amazing aspects of distance education is that learners can get an education regardless of where they are. This is mostly made possible by businesses and colleges providing online courses, courses where 80% or more of the content is online (Simonson, et al., 2015). Due to the availability of online courses, and even online degrees, I have been able to complete educational courses (while working on an Ed.S. degree) provided by a university whose campus is over 2 hours away from me; and I haven’t even had to leave the comfort of my own home. Although digital courses require students to be more organized and responsible for their own learning experiences, it also provides students with the ability to engage in courses upon their convenience. I have verified the following theories throughout my degree completion courses:

• Distance education systems should place greater responsibility for learning on the student. -Wedemeyer (Simonson, et al., 2015)
• Distance education systems should permit students to start, stop, and learn at their own pace. -Wedemeyer (Simonson, et al., 2015)
• Easy access to the subject matter contributes to learning pleasure and student motivation. -Holmberg (Simonson, et al., 2015)
• Distance education promotes students' freedom of choice and independence. -Holmberg

Ineffective Distance Education Experience

Since my school district is 1:1 (one technological device is provided per student), I engage in numerous professional development courses regarding technology innovation and integration. The most ineffective professional development I engaged in is also the most ineffective educational experience I have had. I participated in a virtual training of a new educational program my school is integrating next year. Half of the participants were actually with the trainer, while the other half had to tune in via Zoom, a video conferencing program. At the start of the training, the virtual participants were instructed to mute their microphones and close the chat box; therefore completely removing any form of potential interaction between the trainer and virtual participants. The trainer spoke extremely fast throughout the training(much like the man in the video linked above), so the virtual participants could not understand what was being said. This led to some of the virtual participants feeling the need to turn on their microphones and interject comments that had nothing to do with the professional development course. Along with not being able to hear the presentation, the virtual participants were unable to engage in the website. As the trainer spoke, the participants who were physically with her were able to navigate the program on their own and were able to get real hands-on experience with the program that we were learning about. Meanwhile, the virtual participants were having to use their devices to view the training, so it was difficult for us to both view the training and navigate the program simultaneously. The following theories were verified with my experience in this ineffective course. Had the trainer incorporate these theories into her teaching practices, the training would have been more effective.

• Equivalent learning experiences should be provided to each learner whether local or distant. -Simonson (Simonson, et al., 2015)
• Distance education systems develop a design for activities that clarify resources. -Knowles (Simonson, et al,, 2015)
• The core of teaching is interaction between the teaching and learning parties. -Holmberg (Simonson, et al., 2015)

Conclusion

While it is important for instructors to not only be trained in how to properly use technological tools for distance education courses, it is equally important for them to learn and understand the theories of education research. Having an understanding of the research behind distance education will help instructors create better programs and learning experiences for all participants.

References

Mihladz, G. (2018). Academic researches in educational sciences. Cankaya, Ankara: Night Library. Retrieved from https://www.gecekitapligi.com/Webkontrol/uploads/Fck/EDUCATIONAL_1.pdf#page=174 

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., & Zvacek, S. (2015). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundation of distance education. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing, Inc.