Course Reflection
As our knowledge and the availability of distance learning has increased, our nation is beginning to change its perceptions of the quality of learning offered by online programs. At first, we were lost in an unknown, as distance programs were few and far between. The correspondence studies offered in the mid to late 800s offered learners the opportunities to study and learn through the mail. These programs were successful at first, but interest waned at many universities (Simonson, 2009). Others (Illinois Wesleyan, for example) had to cancel their programs due to concerns regarding their quality (Simonson, 2009). Unfortunately, these types of questions are still present today as the number of students in online programs increases.
In the future, I foresee improved perceptions of distance learning as students begin having positive experiences and sharing those with others. There may be little change in only five years, but we will see drastic movements by 2030 (20 years from now). As students become more experienced in distance learning and begin to have more positive outcomes, we will see general perceptions move away from wariness and towards the positive. This fact is promoted by Dr. Siemens, in that experience in distance education goes a long way in promoting its benefits. Naturally, this will go hand in hand with increased accreditations and publicity, since the general public will demand proof of the high expectations they are hearing about from prior students.
In my own future as an instructional designer, I must be wary of these societal perceptions, both as they exist today and how they will exist in the future. If students are not aware of the ease of communication with professors, then I must be conscious in designing the appropriate availability for this to occur. If I know that the society views online education as inferior to traditional schools, then I must be working to prove them wrong. This includes having high expectations for students that rivals or surpasses that of a “brick and mortar” university.
Becoming a positive force for continuous improvement in the field of distance education is vital for my own success in instructional design. Accepting the field as it would be settling for the bare minimum – accepting the status quo - rather than working for change. I realize that our ultimate goal is to have an equivalent reputation to traditional schools, a feat that will only be surmounted through continuous research and improvement based upon proven results. I must be willing to modify my own assumptions for the sake of the field, so that our learners, the consumers who will benefit from our product, receive the ultimate program, whether traditional or online.
Laureate Education, Inc. (2010). The Future of Distance Education [Video].
Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., Zvacek, S. (2009). Teaching and Learning at a Distance: Foundations of Distance Education (4th Ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.
