Reflections on Distance Learning

      I have to confess:  I am a true believer.  I am thriving and learning in this virtual classroom in ways that would never have been possible for me in the world of bricks and mortar education.  If everyone was just like me, we wouldn’t need school buildings anymore…just laptops.  For me, everything about distance learning trumps the traditional model, and so I have to really make myself listen when detractors explain why it isn’t ideal for them.

     This week we all interviewed people to learn their perceptions of online learning.  What I heard from my subjects aligned with what I have read.  Success in distance learning may depend quite a bit on the age of the learner.  Learners who are much younger than me may need more structure and supervision to be successful. On the plus side, these younger learners have a decided edge when it comes to their level of comfort with social media.  Most teens spend quite a few hours each day in asynchronous discussion (Facebook) or real time chat (Instant Messenger).  Finding their way around a CMS will be second nature to them.  Older learners may find themselves overwhelmed by the technology requirements of the virtual classroom.  A friend of mine who is a retired school superintendent pointed out that the next decade or so will mark the retirement of a generation of learners who did not grow up immersed in the internet world.  This demographic may be the one most likely to cling to the belief that there can be no substitute for traditional, lecture-style, face-to-face instruction.

     Prior experience also plays a role in peoples’ perceptions of online learning.  Several of the people I interviewed this week could not imagine that an asynchronous discussion could have as much value as a face-to-face one: they were skeptical when I told them that I find a much deeper exchange of ideas in our discussion forum than I ever had in a live classroom.  Those who have taken a course online seem more likely to believe they can learn this way than those who have not tried it. 

     I predict that distance learning’s inroads into the mainstream will begin in the corporate world, where the bottom lines of efficiency and finance make this model very attractive.  If I can train 500 staffers via a well-designed distance course, that’s certainly more efficient and more cost-effective than sending me around the country to train them 20 at a time.  If I can learn from the finest minds in my field without having to fly around the globe to get to them, well, that’s just good business.

     Ironically, it may be educators themselves who will prove the least accepting of distance learning, even though it has been shown to be as effective as the traditional model.  When a teacher says “they can’t learn this way”, he may really mean “I don’t know how to teach this way.”  This will change over time, as instructors become more comfortable with the media, and more adept at designing good instruction. I took it as a sign of things to come when my son, a freshman Education major at The College of New Jersey, found the Adobe Creative Suite on his list of required resources.  We need to train our teachers differently.

     That’s where I come in.  For the past year, as I have studied in this Master’s program, a voice in the back of my head has been asking what difference all of this will make in my career.  It was not until this course on distance learning that things started falling into place for me. I think my contribution will be as a teacher trainer, helping teachers to develop the skills and materials they will need to be effective, whether in a traditional, distance, or blended classroom.  The IT supervisor in my district thinks that I have arrived on the scene at a pivotal moment in time.  He sees my role as bridging the technology gap, by assisting veteran teachers (subject matter experts) who are somewhat challenged by the technical aspects of instructional design.  Ten years from now, that technology gap will be much smaller, and our new teachers will be better prepared to create excellent, effective instruction. As an instructional designer, I am in the right place at the right time.  By helping teachers experience success as distance learners, they may become more comfortable as distance teachers, as well. I just may bring a whole new group of true believers to the virtual classroom!

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